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F/O Arthur J Aldridge RAFVR and crew – 576 Sqn – RAF Elsham Wolds - 1944
Failed to Return – 12/13th September 1944 – Lancaster III - ME854 – Op Frankfurt
Arthur Aldridge and crew L to R - Alan Lewendon, Ross Rennie, Morley Nelson, Arthur Aldridge, Norman Costigan, Stanley Ormondroyd and Arthur Giles.
Arthur Aldridge was a former Air Training Corps cadet from Surrey. He enlisted in April 1942, trained as a pilot in the USA and Canada and was posted to 576 Squadron with his crew in May 1944 from 11 Base.
Aldridge flew his first operation as second pilot with Ken Murray and crew who were on the final operation of their very hard tour. This was on the night of the 6/7th June 1944 to attack the railway bridges and station at Vire, France. Incidentally my own uncle was killed flying with 103 Squadron on this operation.
On the 12th June 1944 Aldridge took his own crew on their first operation to Gelsenkirken on the night of the 12th June in JA868. They went on to complete 24 sorties being lost on their 25th
Tour details below :-
12/06/1944 – Gelsenkirchen – Oil – JA868 – P/O AJ Aldridge
14/06/1944 - Le Havre - Naval forces – JA868 – P/O AJ Aldridge
16/06/1944 – Sterkrade – Oil – JA868 – P/O AJ Aldridge
17/06/1944 – Aulnoye - Railway yards – LM594 – P/O AJ Aldridge
22/06/1944 – Mimoyecques - V weapon – ME854 – P/O AJ Aldridge
23/06/1944 – Saintes - Railway yards – ME854 – P/O AJ Aldridge
27/06/1944 - Chateau Benapre - V weapon – ME854 – P/O AJ Aldridge
29/06/1944 – Domleger - V weapon – ME854 – P/O AJ Aldridge
30/06/1944 - Oisemont Neuville Au Bois - Army support – ME854 – P/O AJ Aldridge
02/07/1944 – Domleger - V weapon – ME854 – P/O AJ Aldridge
05/07/1944 – Dijon - Railway yards – ME854 – P/O AJ Aldridge
07/07/1944 – Caen - Army support – ME854 – P/O AJ Aldridge
12/07/1944 – Revigny - Railway yards – ME854 – P/O AJ Aldridge
20/07/1944 – Wizernes - V weapon – ME854 – F/O AJ Aldridge
23/07/1944 – Kiel – ME854 – F/O AJ Aldridge
01/08/1944 - Belle Croix Les Bruyeres - V weapon – ME854 – F/O AJ Aldridge
04/08/1944 – Pauillac – Oil – ME854 – F/O AJ Aldridge
05/08/1944 – Blaye – Oil – ME854 – F/O AJ Aldridge
07/08/1944 – Fontenaye - Army support – ME854 – F/O AJ Aldridge
10/08/1944 – Dugny – Oil/fuel – ME854 – F/O AJ Aldridge
11/08/1944 – Douai - Railway yards – ME854 – F/O AJ Aldridge
12/08/1944 – Bordeaux - U boat base – ME854 – F/O AJ Aldridge
14/08/1944 – Fontaine-le-Pin - Army support – ME854 – F/O AJ Aldridge
16/08/1944 – Stettin – ME854 – F/O AJ Aldridge
12/09/1944 – Frankfurt – ME854 – F/O AJ Aldridge – FTR - Crashed between Flomborn, Eppelsheim and Gundersheim approx 10 miles north west of Worms, Germany.
It was thought that ME854 was damaged by Flak then finished off by Hauptman Martin Becker in ME110 2Z+MK
This crew flew pretty much unchanged throughout apart from two changes noted in the 576 ORB.
The usual mid upper gunner in Aldridge's crew was Sgt Norman Costigan who missed their final operation and was replaced by Sgt Joseph Wilkinson who was on his first op. This crew had just returned from leave but Norman Costigan was delayed and missed the training flight that day and the operation that night. When he arrived at Elsham Wolds the next day he was greatly upset to find his crew was missing. He completed 5 more operations as a spare bod with 576 Squadron and was then posted to 550 Squadron at nearby North Killingholme to complete 3 more.
In addition F/S Nick Hawrelechko RCAF replaced rear gunner Sgt M F Nelson for one operation on the 10/12th August 1944 to Dugny. Hawrelechko was rear gunner in Harold Guilfoyle's crew and very highly regarded by them. This airman came from Morley, Alberta, Canada and subsequently changed his name to Harley post war. He claimed a Bf 109 shot down on the night of the 28/29 July 44 – Stuttgart and was awarded a DFM. See George Tabner's Article here
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F/O Arthur James Aldridge RAFVR – Pilot – 21 – 576 Sqn - Son of Arthur and Alice Aldridge; husband of Helen Aldridge of Welling, Kent – Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt Alan Richard Lewendon RAFVR – Flight Engineer – 20 – 576 Sqn - Son of Frederick and Nellie Elizabeth Lewendon, of Guildford, Surrey - Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
F/S Arthur Ronald Giles RAAF – 22 – 576 Sqn - Son of Leonard Hollway Giles and Elsie Elizabeth Giles of Willunga, South Australia - Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
W/O Ross Burton Rennie RCAF ( pictured below ) – Navigator – 576 Sqn - Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany
F/S Stanley Ormondroyd RAFVR – Radio Operator (Air) – 23 – 576 Sqn - Son of Smith and Annie Ormondroyd of Stoneycroft, Liverpool - Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt Joseph Wilkinson RAFVR ( pictured below ) – Air Gunner – 19 – 576 Sqn - Son of Joseph and Lily Wilkinson of Morley, Leeds, Yorkshire - Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
F/S Morley Francis Nelson RCAF ( pictured below ) – Air Gunner – 576 Sqn - Son of Arthur John Nelson and Lorna Ethel Nelson, of Hastings, Ontario, Canada - Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
W/O Ross Burton Rennie RCAF
Sgt Joseph Wilkinson RAFVR
F/S Morley Francis Nelson RCAF
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12 September 44 – Frankfurt – Germany – Area attack – Night. 19 aircraft detailed. Clear weather over the whole of the route. Crews flew at 20,000ft in the early part of the route and then descended to 17,000ft.
PFF commenced the attack by dropping salvoes of red and green TIs. These were later backed up by separate red and green TIs. Bombing was well concentrated on the markers. Crews report that Darmstadt nearby was still smouldering from a devastating 5 Group attack the night before.
Searchlights were active and moderate heavy flak encountered. A few fighter flares were reported.
F/O Aldridge and crew failed to return from this operation.
( 387 aircraft. The bombing caused severe destruction to the western districts of the city which contained many industrial premises. A troop train was hit. The fires were not finally extinguished until the 15th September )
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Lancaster ME854.
This machine completed 40 operations and being lost on its 41st.
Its first operation was with Arthur Aldridge on the 22nd June 1944 to Mimoyecques.
Compiled and written by David Fell. Crew photo courtesy of the Aldridge family. Wilkinson photo courtesy of the family. Nelson and Rennie photos courtesy of the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. Thanks to Nayland Aldridge for the interesting background info
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