Charles Pearton RAFVR and crew - 103 Squadron - RAF Elsham Wolds – 1944/45
Failed to Return – 6th/7th January 1945 - Avro Lancaster III - W4361 - Op Mining Stettin Bay.
Charles Pearton ( pictured above ) trained as a pilot in the USA at Terrell, Texas with 3 other Elsham pilots – Joe Moss, John Warner and Bertie Marks - who trained about the same time.
He was with his crew posted to 103 Squadron in August 1944 and flew the following operations – a total of 19 completed.
6-Sep-44 - Calais - Lancaster - PB465 - P/O C Pearton
14-Oct-44 - Duisburg - Lancaster - JA857 - F/O C Pearton
14-Oct-44 - Duisburg - Lancaster - LM131 - F/O C Pearton
19-Oct-44 – Stuttgart - Lancaster - ND381 - F/O C Pearton - DNTO - Air Supply U/S
23-Oct-44 - Essen - Lancaster - ND381 - F/O C Pearton
25-Oct-44 - Essen - Lancaster - ND381 - F/O C Pearton
28-Oct-44 – Cologne - Lancaster - ND381 - F/O C Pearton
30-Oct-44 - Cologne - Lancaster - ND381 - F/O C Pearton
09-Nov-44 - Wanne Eikel - Lancaster - JA857 - F/O C Pearton
11-Nov-44 - Dortmund - Lancaster - JA857 - F/O C Pearton
16-Nov-44 - Duren - Lancaster - ME649 - F/O C Pearton
18-Nov-44 - Wanne Eikel - Lancaster - JA857 - F/O C Pearton - Bad weather at base. Diverted
21-Nov-44 - Aschenaffenburg - Lancaster - ME698 - F/O C Pearton
27-Nov-44 - Freiburg - Lancaster - NN758 - F/O C Pearton
29-Nov-44 - Dortmund - Lancaster - PB528 - F/O C Pearton
03-Dec-44 - Urft - Lancaster - NF909 - F/O C Pearton
06-Dec-44 - Leuna - Lancaster - NF909 - F/O C Pearton
24-Dec-44 - Cologne/Nippes - Lancaster - PB528 - F/O C Pearton - Bad weather at base. All aircraft diverted to Old Buckenham
02-Jan-45 - Nuremberg - Lancaster - NF909 - F/O C Pearton - ER - 2 engines U/S
06-Jan-45 - Stettin Bay - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O C Pearton - FTR - Probable night fighter victim. Lost without trace.
The crew for their final operation was :-
F/L Charles Pearton RAFVR – Pilot - 27 – 103 Sqn - Son of William and Mary Pearton; husband of Ivy Irene Pearton, of Lee, London – Runnymede Memorial.
Sgt David Fell RAF – Flight Engineer – 24 – 103 Sqn - Son of William and Anne Stewart Fell, of Mid Calder, Midlothian - Runnymede Memorial.
P/O Harold Joseph Hutcheson RAAF - 29 – 103 Sqn - Son of Joseph and Helen Isabelle Hutcheson, of Bendigo, Victoria, Australia - Runnymede Memorial.
W/O Sidney Edward Abrams RAFVR – 103 Sqn - Runnymede Memorial.
P/O William Edward Burcher RAAF - 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of Edward Arthur and Florence Emma Irere Burcher of Mosman, New South Wales, Australia - Runnymede Memorial.
Sgt Gwynne Williams RAFVR - 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of Robert Edward and Mary Ellen Williams, of Llangollen, Denbighshire - Runnymede Memorial.
Sgt Charles Henry Palmer RAFVR - 31 – 103 Sqn - Son of John Henry and Sarah Palmer - Runnymede Memorial.
All this crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Note – The Flight Engineer in this crew, David Fell, is no relation.
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F/L Charles Pearton RAFVR
F/L Pearton was a former London Metropolitan Police Officer
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06-Jan-45 - Stettin Bay
For this minelaying duty in the Baltic 103 Squadron detailed 4 crews. All aircraft took off in rather poor weather but this soon improved and was good for the trip. On arrival in the gardening area ( Minelaying area ) it was clear and the vegetables (mines ) were dropped successfully by using H2S radar from between 13000 ft to 14000 ft. No defences were encountered in the gardening area but some flak was encountered en route
On this night Bomber Command detailed the usual number of Minor Operations over Western Europe as follows :- 20 Mosquitos to Kassel (a 'spoof' raid) and 6 to Castrop-Rauxel, 52 RCM sorties, 32 Mosquito patrols, 49 Lancasters minelaying off Baltic ports. 2 RCM Halifaxes and 2 Lancaster - minelayers lost.
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Lancaster - PB637
This machine was lost on its 28th operation. See below :-
05-Oct-44 - Saarbrucken - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O RA Dobson
07-Oct-44 - Emmerich - Lancaster - PB637 - P/O WE Baker RCAF
14-Oct-44 - Duisburg - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O SO Scott – Early Return - Engine unserviceable.
14-Oct-44 - Duisburg - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O T MacLetchie
19-Oct-44 - Stuttgart - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O WE Baker RCAF
23-Oct-44 - Essen - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O WW Alderdice RCAF
25-Oct-44 - Essen - Lancaster - PB637 - F/L LJC Remy
28-Oct-44 - Cologne - Lancaster - PB637 - F/L RA Butts RCAF
30-Oct-44 - Cologne - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O CH Short RCAF
31-Oct-44 - Cologne - Lancaster - PB637 - F/L RA Butts RCAF
02-Nov-44 - Dusseldorf - Lancaster - PB637 - F/L LJC Remy
06-Nov-44 - Gelsenkirchen - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O AG Frish
09-Nov-44 - Wanne Eikel - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O CH Short RCAF
11-Nov-44 - Dortmund - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O FG Durrant
RCAF
18-Nov-44 - Wanne Eikel - Lancaster - PB637 – F/S JR Barnes Bad weather at base. Diverted
21-Nov-44 - Aschenaffenburg - Lancaster - PB637 – F/S JR Barnes
27-Nov-44 - Freiburg - Lancaster - PB637 - F/L LJC Remy
29-Nov-44 - Dortmund - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O CH Short RCAF
04-Dec-44 - Urft - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O CH Short RCAF
06-Dec-44 - Leuna - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O FG Durrant RCAF
12-Dec-44 - Essen - Lancaster - PB637 - F/L LJC Remy
13-Dec-44 - Aarhus Bay - Lancaster - PB637 - F/L LJC Remy
24-Dec-44 - Cologne/Nippes - Lancaster - PB637 - F/L LJC Remy - Bad weather at base. All aircraft diverted to Old Buckenham
29-Dec-44 - Scholven Buer - Lancaster - PB637 - F/L LJC Remy - Hit by flak. No injuries.
31-Dec-44 - Osterfeld - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O AVJ Vernieuwe
02-Jan-45 - Nuremberg - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O AS Thomson
05-Jan-45 - Hanover - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O AS Thomson
06-Jan-45 - Stettin Bay - Lancaster - PB637 - F/O J Pearton – FTR - Probable night fighter victim. Lost without trace.
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Katie Lane - A Brief Encounter.
I was contacted by an Ryan King in the USA in May 2020 regarding an incident concerning Charles Pearton, a forced landing while he was training at Terrell Texas and a young American lady by the name of Katie Lane. Katie ( pictured above ) served stateside during WW2. She was part of the 3rd WAC Training Center and seemed to move from camp to camp in the WAC eventually achieved rank of Lieutenant. Most of the paperwork Ryan acquired are post cards to and from home, photos of her and her friends she met in the service. They were given to him by a friend who was a member of the Lane family. Ryan dug through through the letters and photos and stumbled across a thick envelope, full of letters and a photo of Charles Pearton.
The envelope was labeled "Letters Oct. 1942-1944."
"These are the letters and the write up of how I met the young English pilot; He was in training and had a forced landing while I was visiting a black family in Center Co, Texas. He landed in a filed about 15 miles from the town. The black people were frightened, because it was war time and they were afraid he was an enemy. Was going to go and try to find him. The blacks didn't want to go but wouldn't let me go alone. We started out and met the pilot walking toward us. He was lucky that he walked in the right direction. We corresponded until Christmas 1944. Never heard from him after that. I have always wondered what happened to him; just kept these for fun. Stamps might be worth something."
Upon opening the envelope, The first thing Ryan noted is the photo of a dashing, smiling, young pilot, Charles Pearton. The photo is the same as the portrait photo on my website and was taken whilst Charles was training at Terrell.
On the reverse of the photo Katie has written "Charles Pearton, Pearton, C. English Flyer picked up out of Oakwood, Texas. He was over here in 1942 training and was forced down in a field about 30 miles from nearest telephone."
Then Ryan noted see the Newspaper articles clipped from the paper but sadly there is no date. He have scanned the articles for me to read. One of the points that really amused Ryan was that one of the African Americans actually grabbed an axe after seeing Charles's plane going down and was ready for the "invasion." It talks a little in detail, and quoting Charles speaking about family and his experience at Dunkerque.
There are 17 letters total, all written by Charles to Katie Lane. Most are post marked from Texas, assuming from while he was still training state side. Some are from Yorkshire, 1944. The last letter I have from Charles is written December 23rd, 1944. Charles went missing during a minelaying operation January 6th 1945 when he and his crew well nearing the end of their tour
Ryan wished to have these letters reunited with the Pearton family. As luck would have it I had saved the email contact address of the Pearton family which was about 10 years old. I sent an e mail with Ryan's details and copies of all the attachments to see if I received a reply. I was delighted to receive an immediate response from Terry Pearton who was amazed and delighted with the contents and e mailed Ryan that same day.
Conatct was made and all parties are delighted with this development. It is quite amazing that after all these years something quite unexpected and new can turn out out of the blue like that. That is the wonders of websites and the internet for you. Where would we be without it all ?
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Item written by David Fell with photos and background info courtesy of the Pearton family and Ryan King.
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