S/L Charles O'Donoghue RAF and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1943
Failed to Return – 1st April 1943 – Avro Lancaster III – ED626 – Op Emmerich
Charles O'Donoghue and his crew were posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds on the 8th March 1943. I believe he was on his second tour having previously flown Bristol Blenheims on daylight operations
20-Mar-43 – Leer – Lancaster – ED612 – S/L C O'Donoghue
26-Mar-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED612 – S/L C O'Donoghue
28-Mar-43 - St Nazaire – Lancaster – ED612 – S/L C O'Donoghue - 2 engines cut on take off.
29-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – ED645 – S/L C O'Donoghue
01-Apr-43 – Emmerich – Lancaster – ED626 – S/L C O'Donoghue – FTR - Day fighter victim. Crashed at Hulsthorst, Netherlands.
Shot down by Oberfeldwebel Fritz Timm of the 3/JG1 flying a Fw190A from Deelen airfield.
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S/L Charles O'Donoghue RAF ( pictured below ) – Pilot – 103 Sqn - Harderwijk General Cemetery, Netherlands.
Sgt James Edward Callaghan RAFVR ( pictured below ) – Flight Engineer - 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of James Callaghan and of Mary Jane Callaghan (nee Harris) of Holborn, London - Harderwijk General Cemetery, Netherlands.
Sgt Antony Hare Fry RAF ( pictured below ) – Navigator - 21 – 103 Sqn - Son of Edward Hare Fry and of Ruby Alice Mary Fry (nee Gooderham) of Honington, Lincolnshire - Harderwijk General Cemetery, Netherlands.
F/O Eric Richard Victor Ashcroft RAFVR ( pictured below ) – Air Bomber - 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of Harold and Millicent N. Ashcroft of Worthing, Sussex - Harderwijk General Cemetery, Netherlands.
Sgt John Edwin Winn RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of Leonard and Agnes Dorothy Winn of Northampton - Harderwijk General Cemetery, Netherlands.
F/O Ian Crawford Burns DFM RAFVR ( pictured below ) – Air Gunner - 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of George Jeffrey and Annie Elizebeth Burns of Glasgow - Harderwijk General Cemetery, Netherlands.
Sgt Sefton Stafford RAFVR – Air Gunner – 33 – 103 Sqn - Son of Asa and Rachel Ann Stafford; husband of Elizabeth Stafford of South Shore, Blackpool, Lancashire - Amerfoort Oud Leusden General Cemetery, Netherlands
F/O I C Burns DFM was awarded whilst he was with 144 Squadron in 1941
Charles O’Donoghue
Charles was born 1st July 1914 and studied at the University of Dundee (1934/1935). He joined the RAF pre war, trained in India with 4FTS and posted to 11 Squadron in Karachi in 1937 flying the Bristol Blenheims. Served in Singapore for a short time with his Squadron. In 1941 he fought in the East African Campaign in Somalia and in 1942 he returned to England.
James Callaghan
Antony Fry
Eric Ashcroft
Born in Worthing he attended the Boy’s High School and Xaverian College Mayfield. He was a good all round sportsman and also concert artist. He joined the RAF on leaving school at 18 and was commissioned at the beginning of 1942. He had already flown a tour of 30 operations with another Squadron before joining 103 Squadron during which he was involved in a crash landing and also returned in a badly damaged aircraft after having been hit by flak. He had flown in the 1000 bomber Raids during 1942. At the young age of 20 he was a very experienced Air Bomber and his loss was a sad blow to the Squadron.
John Edwin Winn
F/O Ian Crawford Burns DFM RAFVR
Sefton Stafford
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31-Mar-43 - Emmerich
This was the only aircraft from 103 Squadron detailed for this attack on the German town of Emmerich. It was a dawn nuisance attack aiming to arrive over the target at dawn and returning in daylight using cloud cover. He was last hear attempting to contact M/F D/F Section G at 07.35 hrs but nothing further was heard. The German radio the same day claimed to have shot down a Lancaster after it had dropped its bombs
Bomber Command were stood down on this day but 12 Mosquitos bombed a power-station and railway yards at Trier. Both targets were hit. In addition a lone Lancaster of No 103 Squadron, again piloted by Squadron Leader C O'Donoghue, set out to bomb the German town of Emmerich just over the German border, but the Lancaster was shot down over Holland and the crew were all killed.
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Lancaster - ED626
This machine had a very short career of just over a week but was flown by 5 different crews in that time.
22-Mar-43 - St Nazaire – Lancaster – ED626 – Sgt GDJ King
26-Mar-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED626 – F/S GM Maddern RAAF
27-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – ED626 – F/S GM Maddern RAAF
28-Mar-43 - St Nazaire – Lancaster – ED626 – W/O G Denwood
29-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – ED626 – F/L KG Bickers
01-Apr-43 – Emmerich – Lancaster – ED626 – S/L C O'Donoghue – FTR - Day fighter victim. Crashed at Hulsthorst, Netherlands.
Compiled by David Fell with Callaghan photo from the family. O’Donoghue, Fry, Ashcroft photos courtesy of Wessel Scheer. Also background info. Spafford and Burns photos courtesy of Teunis Schuurman who runs the superb Pats website in the Netherlands
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