Hi!

Flight Sergeant Raymond Smith RAFVR
killed aged 22,Air Bomber,on 15,2,1944 in 166 Squadron
Service number 1335530
(from Commonwealth war Graves Register)

Op Berlin

Took off at 17.30 from Kirmington.Shot down by a night-fighter,crashing at 20.30 with great force into a forest,some 2 km N of freudenberg,4km SE of Ribnitz-Damgaretn.
F/O Wright of the crew is named on panel 210 of the Runnymede memorial,the rest of the crew rest in the Berlin 1939-45 War Cemetery

Crew
F/O R J Robinson RAFVR
Sgnt HK Harrison RAFVR-pow
Sgnt GF Clark RAFVR
F/S RAR Smith RAFVR
F/S DJ Stokes RAFVR
Sgt NO Jones RAFVR
F/O B O Wright RAFVR

There is also a 166 squadron site

On the Commonwealth War Graves Debt of Honour,which is on-line
He is listed as Raymond Algernon Reeves Smith
Parents Norman  Leslie and Emma of Maidstone and wife Elsie Agnes also of Maidstone,Kent

The crew were all RAFVR

(Royal Airforce Volunteer reserve)

I shall have a looksee into the rest of the crew for you.

A pleasure,I shall see if I can find out more.,and maybe the relations of other crew members

I expect Raymond is also remembered on a local War memorial.

And maybe a Roll of Honour for his old school/college.
I try all these avenues and Geneology sites and usually come up with something!

You can look up the rest of the crew and ages and where they came from by googling Commonwealth War Graves,Debt of Honour.
If you put their names and the year of death,Airforce etcetera,it will show their details.
You can also go onto the RAF Commands Forum and post a request about the crew and their demise,as they were shot down by a night-fighter,someone should have the details-they are all experts!!

As he was married,maybe his widow or that line would have photo's,if you know her maiden name.
It is amazing what you can find out.

Hi.
The order usually is-

Pilot
Flight Engineer
Navigator
Air Bomber
Wireless  Op/A/G
Mid U Gunner
Rear Gunner

Sergeant Harrison  is listed   as POW no 1605 and in Camps L6/357 (fallingbostel,Germany)and apparently blown out of the Lancaster,
I don't have a Christian name.
You could try the 166 Squadron site.

Dear All. Does any one have any info on Lancaster 111 ED841 AS-L.
ie when & where it was made, ?
if it had been in any other accident,?
who was the normal crew, ?
did it have a name ?
what were the letters on the side?
Thanking you in advance.
Richard Smith

Hi Richard,
As for production, according to the details available it was manufactured as follows:-

PLANT A.V. Roe & Co. Ltd., Newton Heath, Manchester.


TYPE Avro Type 683 Lancaster Mk.I & Mk.III

RANGE
ED303-ED334, ED347-ED396, ED408-ED453, ED467-ED504, ED520-ED569, ED583-ED631, ED645-ED668, ED688-ED737, ED749-ED786, ED799-ED842, ED856-ED888, ED904-ED953, ED967-ED999, EE105-EE150, EE166-EE202

DATA
 Part of the fourth production batch of 620 aircraft as part of the final part of Contract No. B69274/40, B79275/40 and Works Order No. 7671. The first 135 aircraft (ED303-ED334, ED347-ED396, ED408-ED453, ED467-ED504, ED520-ED569, ED583-ED631, ED645-ED668, ED688-ED737, ED749-ED782 as Mk.Is, the remainder as Mk.IIIs. Deliveries commenced 11-42; completed 6-43 (average production rate 25 aircraft per week)

Full aircraft listings can be found at :-http://www.lancaster-archive.com/lanc_production.htm

-- Edited by Starman 1957 on Tuesday 18th of May 2010 02:20:45 PM

Hi,
I am now in touch with George Clark's family (crews navigator) who have sent a couple of photo's.
Would you like to e mail me and I can put you in touch,maybe they have more info for you
Linda

I will e mail them and if it is ok with them,will put you in touch

I was interested to read your post from a couple of years ago and the information you received. I am Raymond 'Pickle' Smith's great nephew (his father and mother were my great grandparents, although unfortunately I never knew them. I guess we must be relatives! Fascinating but sad to leanr what happened to him.

Richard/Peter

               If any of you want info from the 166sqdn ORB, please let me know as i have a copy.

Regards...Alan.

Hello Richard

Thank you for replying to me. Your cousin's family tree would make interesting reading as would the military history.

Until last year I was still living in Maidstone (I'm in Dublin now.) My mother and other Smith related family are still there and scattered about in various other parts of the globe. My mother's maiden name was Pamela Newman. Her mother was Norman Leslie Smith's daughter, Dorothy and I also remember her brother, Harry Smith. I knew about Great Uncle Pickle from an early age as my mother has often spoken fondly of him. She told me he was a Pathfinder. Dorothy Smith had eight children in all, starting with Joan, who died as a toddler following an operation; Beryl, who lives in Canada; Norman (Jack) who died a few years ago; Molly, who died in 1980; Pamela (my mother); Barbara, who lives in Maidstone; Dennis (Australia) and Sheila, who is also in Maidstone. They of course have a plethora of children and grandchildren!

I will be glad to supply you with any more information and would be interested to know more of the family tree (for instance, I had no idea there was a Wrexham connection) and also more of Pickle's role in the RAF and his resting place. I did not know he was buried in Berlin.

I came across an interesting article the other day in the London Gazette of 4th November 1919 stating that a Henry Norman Smith had changed his name by deed poll from Reeves to Smith. I assumed that it was my great grandfather Norman Leslie as he was described as a builder living at 36 Melville Road Maidstone, which was Norman Leslie's trade and address but the first names are different, with the exception of Norman. Can you shed any light on that? I know of course that my great grandmother was a Reeves and it's interesting to note that Raymond's name was Raymond Algernon Reeves Smith.

Best wishes

Peter

Peter/Richard,

Can you let me have your email addresses via the whiteboard in my profile, for when i've got any details from the ORB to send.

Alan.

Hello, I have a photo of the survivor,Sgt H.K.Harrison the Flight Engineer in the crew.He was captured,wounded,near Rostock.
The crew went to the Pathfinder Force in january 1944 but returned to 166 squadron a short time later. Contact me on MJC41uk AT
YAhoO DOT cO DoT UK (all lower case).researching 166 squadron is my hobby.Regards M