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25/26 August 1944 Lancaster Mk I - PD274 KO-Y |
Leaving the target area at 19,550 feet, collided with another Lancaster (KB775 from 419 Squadron) losing both port engines.
With their aircraft out of control, the crew baled out at 6,500 feet, S of Koblenz.
F/O. Vinish RCAF
sustained a broken leg and spent most, if not all of his captivity at Mulhausen.
Source: aviation-safety.net
Crash near Irmenach about 7 km South East of Traben-Trarbach (Rhineland-Palatinate).
Sgt Bell, Sgt Agnew, Sgt Ames and Flt Sgt Kydd were part of Trupp 30. They arrived at Bankau on 4 September 1944.
(The Long Road - Oliver Clutton-Brock)
Pilot: J/27724 Flt Lt Albert Charles Aldridge RCAF - PoW/Stalag Luft III Sagan & Belaria / Milag-Marlag Nord-Oflag L/PoW Number 7725.
Flight Engineer: 1896269 Sgt Leonard William Bell - PoW/Stalag Luft VII Bankau near Kreuzburg Upper Silesia/PoW Number 693.
Navigator: J/29843 Fg Off Henry Alfred Vinish RCAF - PoW/Stalag 9C Muhlhausen/PoW Number 52644
Bomb Aimer: J/29386 Fg Off Aubrey Issy Epstein RCAF - PoW/Stalag Luft III Sagan & Belaria/PoW Number 7730.
Wireless Operator: 1623139 Sgt William Hill Agnew - PoW/Stalag Luft VII Bankau near Kreuzburg Upper Silesia/Stalag IIIA Luckenwalde/PoW Number 689.
Mid Upper Gunner: R/220333 Flt Sgt Grordon Kydd RCAF - PoW/Stalag Luft VII Bankau near Kreuzburg Upper Silesia/Stalag IIIA Luckenwalde/PoW Number 711.
Rear Gunner: 1805664 Sgt Reginald Leslie Ames - PoW/Stalag Luft VII Bankau near Kreuzburg Upper Silesia/Stalag IIIA Luckenwalde/
PoW Number 690. He is buried in Cambridge City Cemetery Grave 15903
This update above was send by John Jones, thanks.
412 Lancasters of Nos 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups attacked the Opel motor factory at Rüsselsreim.
15 Lancasters were lost, 3.6 per cent of the force.
The Pathfinder marking was accurate and the raid was successfully completed in 10 minutes.
An official German report. says that the forge and the gearbox assembly departments were put out of action for several weeks,
but 90 per cent of the machine tools in other departments escaped damage.
The assembly line and part of the pressworks were able to recommence work 2 days later and lorry assembly was unaffected because
of considerable stocks of ready-made parts.
Source: nationalarchives.gov.uk - Bomber Command - Campaign Diary August 1944.
ORB. 25th Aug., 1944.
27 aircraft were detailed to attack RUSSELHEIM but three were cancelled.
The remainder took off between 20.23 hours and 20.50 hours.
One aircraft Y.PB.274 (Captain F/L. A. C. ALLDRIDGE) failed to return from Operations - no news being received.
23 aircraft identified the target by means of red & green indicator markers on which they bombed from heights ranging
between 8,000 feet and 19,000 feet.
A big orange coloured explosion, which lit up the sky, was seen at 0100 hours.
There was a fine concentration of fires with much smoke. Photographs were attempted.
One aircraft (F.HK.555 Captain F/O. D. G. BURGESS) sustained damage to Mid Upper turret by Flak.
Another aircraft's (HK.544 Captain F/O. N. BERKELEY) starboard engine seized up due to glycol leak and on return landed
at ODIHAM through lack of petrol.
Owing to bad weather conditions at Base, all the aircraft were diverted to other stations.
06.10. 23 aircraft had landed after Operations (at different stations)
Alldridge Albert Charles - Pilot
F/L. - Service No J27724
Age: - °21 Dec 1921 +18 Dec 2007 Nova Scotia, Canada -
RCAF - POW. *Was interned in Camp L3. PoW No.7725.
Son of
Obituary Ottawa Citizen
Source: *forum.axishistory.com
Bell L. - FE
Sgt - Service No
Age: POW.
*Was interned in Camp L7. PoW No.693.
Son of
Source: *forum.axishistory.com
Vinish Henry A. - Nav
F/O - Service No J29843
Age:
RCAF - POW. *After some months in Hospital in Camp 9C, PoW No.52644.
Son of
Source: *forum.axishistory.com
Agnew W. - WOP/Air
Sgt - Service No
Age:
POW. *Was interned in Camp L7. PoW No.689
Son of
Source: *forum.axishistory.com
Epstein A. I. - Air Bomber
F/O - Service No J29386
Age:
RCAF - POW *No.7730.
Son of
Source: *forum.axishistory.com
Kydd G. - MUG
F/S. - Service No J220333
Age:
RCAF - POW. *Was interned in Camp L7. PoW No.711
Son of
Source: *forum.axishistory.com
Sgt - Service No 1805664*
Age: °1924 - +29 Oct 1946.
POW - Stalag Luft 7 Prisoner 690.
Son of Reginald G. Ames and Lilian Ames, of Stroud Green, Middlesex.
Photo: Find a grave by Len.
Hello,
I am currently researching my family history.
My relative Reginald Leslie Ames served in this squadron during the war and was on a
mission that crashed and he was taken prisoner of war. He was imprisoned in Stalag Luft 7.
The flight took off from Witchford on 25 Aug 1944 at 20.28 headed for Russelsheim.
It collided with another Lancaster aircraft and lost both port engines.
The crew bailed out at 6,500 feet.
He was taken prisoner. He was liberated I believe the following May 1945.
On his return to England he became a Volunteer reserve despatch rider for the RAF but sadly
died in a motorcycle accident 29 Oct 1946 aged 22 years.
He is buried in Cambridge City Cemetery.
That is about as much as I know, if you could offer any
more information about his military career etc I would be most grateful.
His details are:
Sergeant Reginald Leslie Ames Rear Gunner
b. 1924 - d. 29 Oct 1946
Unit 115, AC Serial PD274, Service Number 1805664
Imprisoned in Stalag Luft 7 Prisoner 690
kind regards
Vivien McKeown.
contact via friends115squadron@gmail.com