Hello Barnsley,

On June 13, 1944 a Lancaster (ME777)crashed at Zelhem in the Netherlands. All men in the plane were killed and are buried on the cemetry in Zelhem. Here are the names of the crewmembers: Joseph Eric Bawtree, Harry Arthur Bulger Brown, Herbert William Davies, William George Grant (pilot), Leslie Thomas Hunt, Keith James Moses, John Henry Stopp (five Australians en two British). Do you know more about their backgrounds? Are their relatives who have information or pictures? Or who are interested in the facts concerning the crash. I have all the details (as far as I could trace) from the Zelhem point of view, but are interested in the stories from the other (forus mostley hidden) side.

Thank you in advance, with kind regards,

Jan Oonk

Zelhem

info@janoonk.nl

From Blackforest to Quintrell. Hello, This is a renewed attempt to get in touch with you concerning Thomas-Henry LUSCOMBE's nephew and family. (you posted your sole message right underneath Seargent RADBOURNE's grave large photo on page 1). I left you a 3rd message dated Apr 30 (2014) on your whiteboard. It looks as though you did not found  them. If you ever come back to this site, please e-mail me at : djuray7@gmail.com. Over the years, I keep hoping for a breakthrough concerning Thomas' family. Thank you very much. 

Just wondering if there are any available crew pictures of 166 Squadron with James Burton as the pilot.

Reports show they were shot down on Oct 26/44 over Heligoland. My great uncle James Burleigh Hill was the Air Bomber on this plane. Our Family has no pictures of him after he left for war.

If you find anything and can send me an email that would be great ( bobbyh@gracom.ca )

Thanks

I am the grandson of Flight Officer Sisson. I loved my grandfather more than life itself. It makes me tear up to read about a part of his life I know little about. So I know how important it is to discover and record the history of our loved ones.

Answer  to question c) the the "R" stands for ROGER.  Or R is for Roger! My grandfather had such a sense of humor that it was no surprise to me that the R was kind of a light hearted way of dealing with the seriousness of war.

I hope this helps!

v/r

SFC Sisson

hallo , can you help me please . My grand mothers brother flew lancasters with 166sqd . He was shot down over germany but survived . His name is MUNCER, Kevin Patrick, FO - DFC - 451030 - 166 Sqn - RAFVR. Thank you for any help . martin.keters@telenet.be 

I am Chairman of Kirmington Parish Council I we would like some information on 166 Sqn RAF Kirmington on the Manna food drops in 1945 if you could help us the area of Holland were 166 Sqn did their food drops

Hello Barnsley,

Actor Donald Pleasance being a little camera shy in this pre D-Day publicity shot. W/Cmdr Garner O/C 166 Sqn is standing on the left.

Cheers

bandlaw49

AS I 'Item', Lancaster ME647. F/O Lewis and crew. Burst tyre on take off for Revigny 14.7.44. Crew safe. Aircraft Cat AC. Photo appears in W. E. Jones book 'Bomber Intelligence'. Cheers, B

PS I would be interested to know where you obtained pic from. B

Hi, Are you still looking for information on P N Hickman? If so, please email me at : lyndacrisp@Hotmail.co.uk.

Jill, 

       They were posted to 153sqdn in October 44, when the squadron was reformed, from a fighter squadron to a bomber squadron. They flew their first op with 153sqdn, on 25th Oct 44, to Essen. If you would like info on other ops flown at 153sqdn, please let me know.

Regards.....Alan.

Hi, Sgt Jack Bullock 1215473 RAF was the WOP/Ag in the crew of Warrant Officer P. F. Chesterton. They flew 3 operations with 166 Squadron (having transfered in from 103 Squadron in September), including the final one to Hanover. Chesterton was a deputy flight commander Their aircraft was hit by flak and crashed at 23.56 hours. The Air Bomber, Sgt K, Cave was the only survivor. If you want more information please email me on mjc41ukATyahoo.co.uk

Cheers, Barnsley

Hi my name is Barry Kay and I live in New Zealand and I am trying to trace a chap called Lofty Reid who flew in 166 squadron with my uncle Jim Stronach. JI'm is 82 and would love to see if his friend is still alive .

other crew members were Don Philips, pilot,  Joe Laufman gunner, Jim Stronach navigator. 

Lofty lived in Timaru New Zealand and Jim would like to get in touch with any of the guys if they are still around

Hi Barnsley 

that email address keeps getting rejected

kind regards

Barry

sorry about that. I don't know why that is happening. Don't forget to replace AT with @ in the address mjc41ukATyahoo.co.uk  Cheers, B

I don't know why my email mjc41uk@yahoo.co.uk keeps getting rejected but I have now emailed you direct. Sorry! B

I have sent it again David. That is my email address above. Let me know if it gets through and if not we will have to think of something else. B

Hello Lesley, your Great Uncle was the the Navigator in the crew of Roy Frandsen and was posted in to 166 Squadron in November 1943. Frandsen was on his second tour of operations and had to fly 20 operations instead of 30 that your Uncle had to fly on what was his first tour, so he completed the remaining 10 ops with different pilots. He was awarded the DFM at the end of his tour. He was posted out of 166 in August 1944. I will email you directly with further information from the 166 Squadron operations record book. I may have a copy of his DFM recommendation as well and a combat report for the crew. A picture of 'Frandsens Frolics' appears in Lancaster at war 2 by Garbutt and Golding. My email is mjc41ukATyahoo.co.uk

Hello,

Re: James Findlay Tosh, Pilot Officer 16915

your Uncle flew the following operations with 166 Squadron;

28.01.44 Berlin 

30.01.44 Berlin-Failed to return

5 of the crew were killed when their aircraft was shot down by a night fighter on a raid on Berlin at 20.10 hours and it is believed to have crashed in one of the lakes in the area. The aircraft blew up as the crew attempted to abandon it. 3 crew survived to be POWs, Engineer, Mid Upper Gunner and Wireless operator.

If you care to email me on mjc41uk@yahoo.co.uk I would be delighted to hear from you (it is 'my' thread). Do not use the 'wizard' to contact my email address, type it in independently to your email provider when you compose your message because some people say it gets rejected.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Hi Terry, I sent you a PM but Im afraid that the 166 Squadron records are not very helpful on the point. The only reference I can find is "near the Haque". Not very helpful. There is a book on the Manna food drops by Haans Onderwater. That might be more use to you.Sorry. Best Wishes B

  ALL USERS PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU POST A QUESTION ON THIS 166 SQUADRON THREAD THEN PLEASE DO ACTUALLY       RETURN TO THE THREAD TO SEE THE ANSWER. YOU MAY NEED TO SCROLL DOWN FROM YOUR ORIGINAL POST AS I WILL    ALWAYS ANSWER IF I CAN BUT IT MAY NOT APPEAR IMMEDIATELY BELOW YOUR QUESTION.

Hello Viki. Lancaster NN970 'Semper ad Excretum; had a swastika with a cleaver through it painted on its nose and carried the code AS-B on its fuselage. Your farther' Sgt FR Lamb 1596562 RAF, was the tail gunner in the crew of Pilot Officer A.J, Bridge and the arrived at RAF Kirmington (now Humberside International Airport!) on 20/03/45. They flew operations to Plauen on the 10/04/45  and Potsdam on the 14/04/45. The full crew was;

Sgt T. C. Hardy Engineer

F/O J. W. Caldwell Air Bomber

Sgt K. W. Friswell  Navigator

Sgt I. R. Hill Wireless Operator

Sgt W. E. Murray  Mid Upper Gunner

If you care to email me on mjc41uk@yahoo.co.uk I would be pleased to hear from you (please note that sometimes the email wizard rejects my email address if you just click on it so it is best to copy it and use your own email provider to send it)

Best Wishes, B

Thanks I Have met with Hans Onderwater and he has been very helpful he is putting me in connect with a village between Rotterdam and The Hague near to the spot were 166 Sgn made their food drops during operation. Manna to look at the possibility of twinning with the village of Kirmington 

terry Marsden

George White was Martins Mid Upper Gunner. Email me on mjc41uk@yahoo.co.uk for more info. Use your own email provider to email me as the wizard sometimes rejects it for some reason. Cheers (and sorry for the hasty reply I am off to work). Barnsley

Hi, if you are still providing information i would like to find out more about flt engineer walter dawson of 166, i know he is buried at Reichswald,  and flew in lancasters and at 31 was quite old for the job.

Hello - I used to own a secondhand bookshop, & am in possession of a book on the Lancaster Bomber. It belonged to a member of 166 Squadron, & I cannot decipher all of his writing on the flyleaf. I can make out "Sergeant" & "956487", but his name is unclear. I thought it may be R A C Coyle, then found the name "Coryton" on various sites - but he was a squadron leader, I think, not a sergeant. The information under the name also states "ex 166 Squadron (unreadable word) No 1st Group - Kilmington Command, April /45-46 Lancasters Flight of 36". Various page references in the book are written down, & there is a photograph of a memorial on the village pub affixed. There is also a small booklet with the book, which appears to be information for personnel arriving at RAF Kilmington, & this sergeant's name is on the front of this also. I am interested to know his exact name; the writing is a little wobbly as if he wrote it in old age. I wonder can you help?