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19/20 June 1943 Lancaster Mk II - DS668 KO-R |
Shot down on homebound by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Erich Gollasch of the 11./NJG 5.,
crashed at Ingrandes-sur-Loire, 34 km E of Angers, France.
The crew was forced to abandon, F/O Brown baled out but fell into the Loire and drowned.
Source: 115 Squadron Roll of Honour by D. Bruce, W. R. Chorley, J. G. J. de Haan. - (last update 30/11/2018).
4 Mosquitos to Berlin and 1 to Düsseldorf, 15 aircraft minelaying off La Pallice and in the River Gironde. 3 OTU sorties. No losses.
Source: nationalarchives.gov.uk - Bomber Command - Campaign Diary June 1943.
ORB. 19th June. 1943.
3 aircraft took off between 22.19 hours & 22.30 hours for MINELAYING OPERATIONS (Area LA ROCHELLE).
1 failed to return from operations.
The other two dropped their mines in the allotted area, one by pinpoint of PT. DE LA PAYNE &
the other by pinpoint of North West tip of ISLE DE RE from heights of 600 feet & 500 feet respectively.
9 aircraft took off between 22.25 hours & 22.30 hours on MINELAYING OPERATIONS
(Area Mouth of GIRONDE RIVER) & all successfully dropped their mines in the allotted area by
pinpoint of LAKE HOURTIN from heights ranging between 600 feet & 4,000 feet.
One of these aircraft (N.D.S.665 - Captain P/O. D. W. RHYS) sustained damage through enemy fighter attack.
04.40. 11 aircraft had returned safely to Base after Operations.
Brown Derek Frank Paston - Pilot
F/O - Service No 124415
Age: 23
RAFVR - 7th operation.
Son of Paston Charles and Florence May Brown,
of Crowcombe, Somerset.
Ingrandes-sur-Loire Communal Cemetery,
Departement Main-et-Loire, France.
Source: CWGC - Photo via Mike Green - ww2cemeteries.com - Find a Grave.
Mike Green went to the Dulwich College in South London.
This is from the College War Record 1939-1945.
Born March 28, 1920. At
Dulwich he was a Rover Scout and A.S.M. and went to Emmanuel College, Cambridge,
with an open scholarship in Modern Languages.
In 1939 he was elected to the Charles Oldham Shakespeare Scholarship, in the English Tripos, Part I, he was placed in Class II,
and the following year in Part II, he took First Class Honours and was awarded a research Studentship at Christ's College.
He joined the R.A.F.V.R. in 1941 and carried out his training in Arizona.
After getting his wings and commission he became pilot of a Lancaster.
He was posted as missing on June 20, 1943, after an operational flight, and as all his crew were saved it looks as if he was able
to keep the plane going long enough for the crew to bale out, but was not himself able to get out in time before the crash.
He is buried at Ingrandes, Maine-et-Loire, where he was shot down.
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We received on may 12th 2021 following from Trott Tony,
The details regarding Pilot officer Brown on the 115 squadron website are incorrect.
After laying mines at la Rochelle (a market gardening mission) he climbed for height to avoid flak despite the F/Eng.,
F/S. Trott telling him to stay low to avoid night fighters and was shot and seriously injured.
He was unconscious at this time and was thrown out of the aircraft on a static line by F/S. Trott and landed face down
unconscious in water and drowned.
The crew with the exception of F/S. Trott were a relatively new crew with limited operational flight time.
F/S. Trott was awaiting the paperwork to come through for his promotion at the time of this mission and was only on this mission
because he volunteered for the mission to replace their regular F/Eng. who was LMF ie lack of moral fibre and refusing to fly.
The crew that F/S. Trott normally flew with had completed a tour of duty and were due to be sent to become a training crew.
F/S. Trotts' regular pilot was officer Plum whom went onto become a mosquito pilot.
Upon bailing out of the aircraft F/S. Trotts parachute was ripped because the Radio operator had not retracted the radio antenna.
Also the Navigator upon entry to the aircraft threw his parachute onto the bunk of the aircraft and failed to place it in the
correct position in a rack next to his station.
His parachute was placed into its correct position by the F/Eng.
So when the aircraft was going down he was panicking It was in fact the F/Eng. who kept the aircraft flying whilst the crew bailed out.
F/S. Trott was able to evade capture with the assistance of the local resistance one of whom was the local veterinarian another a
young woman named Mimi and a leader of the local resistance named Noel Bredeaux who was captured and tortured by the gestapo.
He also survived the war and lived in St Nazaire until his death in the 1990s.
Trott Charles Frank "Frank" - FE
Sgt - Service No
Age: 19 - °1 July 1924 - Evade
12th operation.
More info and photos thanks to Frank's daughter Jackie Trott, thanks.
Source: 115 Squadron Roll of Honour by D. Bruce, W. R. Chorley, J. G. J. de Haan.
Pitchford C. N. - Nav
P/O - Service No 137108
Age: - Wounded, in hospital - POW No 1664 Luft 3.
RAFVR - 7th operation.
Son of
Source: 115 Squadron Roll of Honour by D. Bruce, W. R. Chorley, J. G. J. de Haan.
Sheppard Alan Henry - WOP
Sgt - Service No
Age: 27 - °4 November 1915 - Evade
- 7th operation.
Photos and documents.
Info and photo via his daughter Valerie Redgate, thanks.
Davidson A. - BA
Sgt - Service No 617634
Age: - Wounded, in hospital -POW No 222587 Stalag 4B
RAF - 7th operation.
Son of
Source: 115 Squadron Roll of Honour by D. Bruce, W. R. Chorley, J. G. J. de Haan.
Gould Robert Ernest. - MUG
Sgt - Service No 1028246
Age: - POW No
RAFVR - 7th operation.
Son of
Info and photo via Grandson Moon Kinnaird, thanks.
King Leonard Francis - RG
Sgt - Service No
Age:
- 7th operation.
Son of
Source: 115 Squadron Roll of Honour by D. Bruce, W. R. Chorley, J. G. J. de Haan.