Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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07/08.09.1941 No. 7 Squadron Stirling I N6046 Sgt. Alick Yardley

Operation: Berlin

Date: 07/08th September 1941

Unit: No. 7 Squadron

Type: Stirling I

Serial: N6046

Code: MG-Y

Base: RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire

Location: Recklinghausen, Germany

Pilot: Sgt. Alick Yardley 748748 Prisoner of War (PoW) No: 9557 Camp: 357 - Stalag Kopernikus, Poland (Also 8B, L3)

Fl/Eng: Fl/Lt. Clive Major Hall AUS/402002 RAAF PoW No: 389 Camp: L3 - Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria, Poland. (Also 10C)

Nav: Sgt. Donald Owens 528924 PoW No: 183 Camp: 357 - Stalag Kopernikus, Poland (Also 3E, L3, L6)

Air/Bmr: Sgt. Jack H. Boulton 742790 PoW No: 18300 Camp: 357 - Stalag Kopernikus, Poland (Also 8B, L6)

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Johnny M. Sutton 746720 PoW No: 9556 Camp: 357 - Stalag Kopernikus, Poland (Also 8B, L6)

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Lesley Ernest John Davenport 964692 PoW No: 9553 Camp: L6 - Stalag Luft Heydekrug, Lithuania (Also 8B, 357) (1)

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Arthur Speakman 5514272 PoW No: 9555 Camp: 357 - Stalag Kopernikus, Poland (Also 8B, L6)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off from RAF Oakington at 20.01 hrs to attack Berlin. 197 aircraft taking part in clear visibility with reports of good bombing on the target.

Reports state that 4 war-industry factories were hit, 10 transport, 13 public utilities damaged. As well as a zoo, 16 farms, 260 dwellings. Ground casualties amounted to 36 killed, 212 injured with some 2,873 bombed out of their homes.

The allies lost some 21 aircraft, either over the target or returning home. 57 aircrew killed, 42 inured with 5 intend in Sweden.

Stirling N6046 is understood to have been attacked several times by night fighters although we have no claims on this. It is believed that they were subsequently hit by a Flak Unit. Sgt. Alick Yardley, the pilot, had a miraculous escape when his parachute failed to open, his fall was broken when he hit the branches of some pine trees.

        

Above: One of the pages from Les Davenports wartime log during captivity at 357, Thorne, Poland (courtesy Ian Davenport)

Other names mentioned in the log of Sgt. Lesley Davenport (We welcome contact from any of the relatives):

Maurice G. Shetlow -?

Stanley Hewitt -?

R. Evans - From Brynmawr, South Wales. (Possibly Sgt. R. Evans of 226 Squadron Blenheim IV Z7289 MQ-R)

D. Owens (This crew)

Johnny D. Morgan From Kidsgrove, Staffordshire. (Possibly Sgt. J.D. Morgan 104 Squadron W5461 12/08/1941)

Charles F. Hall - From Lewes, Sussex. (Possibly Sgt. C.F. Hall of 207 Squadron Manchester I L7380 EM-W)

Richard R. Huleatt (Possibly Sgt. R.R.H. Huleatt 78 Squadron W7931 on 26/03/1943) Died 2008 in Canada.

Jack H. Boulton  (This crew)

J or P Smith -?

 

Above: Fallingborstal inside and outside views August 1944! (courtesy Ian Davenport)

Alec Kerr (Possibly Sgt. A Mcb Australian 115 Squadron R1379 10/05/1941)

D.A. Lloyd From Heanor, Nottinghamshire. (Possibly Sgt. D.A. Lloyd 7 Squadron N6020 25/08/1941)

John H. Sutton (This crew)

Left: Les Davenport Wartime Log (courtesy Ian Davenport)

Dennis S. Merrells - From Barking, Essex. (Possibly Sgt. D.S. Merrells of 7 Squadron Stirling I N3663 MG-H 02/08/1941)

W.S. Bellew - From Kilburn, London NW6.  (Possibly Sgt. W.S. Bellow of 7 Squadron W7430 02/06/1941)

David Y. Teil - From Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

A. Yardley - From Radford, Coventry. (This crew)

Richard A. Copley - From Aldershot, Hants. (Possibly Sgt. R.A. Copley 12 Squadron Wellington W5421 05/06.08.1941)

H. West (Possibly Fl/Sgt. H. West 51 Squadron HR750 27/05/1943) 

J.D. Morgan (Possibly Sgt. J.D. Morgan 104 Squadron W5461 12/08/1941)

Thomas W. Coultard - From Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland. (Possibly Fl/Sgt. T.W. Coulthart 115 Squadron DS722 23/08/1943)

Sydney Dawson - From Spring Bank, Keighley, Yorkshire.

Edward Purnell - From Bishopstoke, Eastleigh, Hants.

Jos Donven - Luxembourg 

Charles D. Paterson - From Greeock, Scotland. (Possibly Sgt. C.G. Paterson 57 Squadron T2970 13/03/1941)

Anthony Palmer - From Harrow, Middlesex.

Harold Bell - From Harborne, Birmingham. (Possibly Sgt. H. Bell 75 Squadron Z1168 26/10/1941)

Harold I. Bast - From Piedmont, Oklahoma USA

Virgil H. Smallen - From Lenoir City, Tennessee USA

Floyd T. Stitely - From Hallam, Pennsylvania USA

Monty Todd - From Ashurst Wood, East Grinstead, Sussex. (Possibly Sgt. M.G.C. Todd 630 Squadron ND788 24/03/1944)

Jack Maher - From Chatsworth, Ontario, Canada. (Possibly Sgt. J.J. Maher RCAF 431 Squadron LK963 28/01/1944)

Left: Les Davenport in the 1970's (courtesy Ian Davenport)

Camps:

8B: (Later renamed Stalag 344) Stalag Lamsdorf, Silesia, Poland.

3E: (non-officers) Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria, Poland.

L3: Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria, Poland.

L6: Stalag Luft Heydekrug, Lithuania.

10C: Stalag X.C., Nienburg, Germany.

357: Stalag Kopernikus, Thorne, Poland.

(1) Les Davenport escaped an earlier incident on the 15th July 1941, returning from an operation to Hannover on a Stirling N6022 MG-D

                

Above left to right: Arthur Speakman, Johnny Sutton, Donald Owens and Alick Yardley (courtesy Ian Davenport)

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Further information and photographs added in an additional page in the hope that some relatives may come forward who served with Les Davenport. (separate page) Either at 7 Squadron, during his training at the Electrical and Wireless School at RAF Yatesbury or the time spent in the various pow camps.

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Burial details:

None, all crew survived the bale out and the war.

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to Ian Davenport for detailed information, Arthur Speakman, Darrell Owens who contacted us in September 20215 (son of Donald Owens). Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vol's. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vol's. 1 and  2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Tom Kracker - 'Kracker Luftwaffe Archives'. Aircrew Remembered own Archives.

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