Pilot Officer J S Griffiths DFC RAFVR and crew – 576 Squadron – 1944
L to R - Jim Bell, Jimmy Griffiths and G/C Walter Sheen
Jimmy Griffiths ( pictured above ) was one of a select band who flew the veteran Lancaster ED888 Mother of Them All. Jimmy and his crew flew the old lady 29 times during their 30 op tour.
He was posted to to 576 Squadron at Elsham Wolds in April 1944. His crew was as follows :-
P/O J S Griffiths
Sgt J D Hawkswood
Sgt D C Bint
Sgt T Atherton
Sgt W J McCarthy
Sgt M Longmead except Sgt C W Lister to Friedrichshafen and W/O R S Pyatt RCAF to Hasselt
Sgt T Jago
I believe they were all RAFVR except W/O R S Pyatt RCAF.
Their tour was as follows :-
24/04/1944 – Karlsruhe – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
26/04/1944 – Essen – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
27/04/1944 - Friedrichshafen – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
30/04/1944 – Maintenon – LM527 – P/O – JS Griffiths - Hit fence on take off. Aircraft sustained hydraulic damage. Abandoned
03/05/1944 – Mailly-le-Camp – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
07/05/1944 - Rennes St Jacques – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
09/05/1944 – Mardyck – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
11/05/1944 – Hasselt – ED888 - P/O JS Griffiths
19/05/1944 – Orleans – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
21/05/1944- Duisburg – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
22/05/1944 – Dortmund – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
24/05/1944 – Aachen – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
27/05/1944 – Aachen – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
06/06/1944 – Vire – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
09/06/1944 – Flers – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
12/06/1944 – Gelsenkirchen – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
14/06/1944 - Le Havre – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
16/06/1944 – Sterkrade – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
17/06/1944 – Aulnoye – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
22/06/1944 – Mimoyecques – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
23/06/1944 – Saintes – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
24/06/1944 – Flers – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
27/06/1944 - Chateau Benapre – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
29/06/1944 – Domleger – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
02/07/1944 – Domleger – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
04/07/1944 – Orleans – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
05/07/1944 – Dijon – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
07/07/1944 – Caen – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
12/07/1944 – Revigny – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
14/07/1944 - Revigny – ED888 – P/O JS Griffiths
On particular incident stands out. Their operation to Maintenon on the 30th April/1st May 1944. This was flown in LM527 and was the only operation this crew flew in an aircraft other than ED888.
That night take off was from the short N-S runway which required revving against the brakes to almost full power then release the brakes and off down the runway. Nearing the end of the runway LM527 had not reached take off speed and a quick glance at the instruments showed the engines were running smoothly but not on full power.
Jimmy eased the stick back and the aircraft left the ground then leveled out just clearing the airfield boundary fence but brushing the small hill beyond . At that point fortunately the ground slopes away. The speed of the aircraft gradually increased and they were able to gain a little height.
They were climbing slowly however and it was soon realised the starboard wheel had not retracted fully after impacting the hill and no amount of pumping would move it up or down.
It was impossible to continue with the operation so it was decided to jettison the bomb load in the sea and return to Elsham Wolds to make an emergency landing. After an hour they had reached 9000 ft and were over the sea off Grimsby. However when they attempted to open the bomb doors nothing happened. It was soon discovered that when trying the pump the undercarriage wheel up all the hydraulic fluid had drained out through a broken pipe.
They returned to Elsham Wolds to report their predicament as it was safe to break radio silence by this time as the rest of the bombers had been away for 2 hours. In spite of renewed attempts it proved impossible to open the bomb doors. It was out of the question to attempt an emergency landing with a full bomb load so it was then decided by Flying Control and senior personnel that there was no alternative but for the crew to bale out and abandon the aircraft.
They descended to 5000ft and circled up wind of the airfield and the crew baled out one at a time. Jimmy was then ordered to fly across the the airfield on an exact course of 080 degrees and engage the automatic pilot when the course and height were set and the aircraft was flying true hands off. He then baled out through the forward escape hatch and landed safely in a field near a house and was picked up by a car and taken back to the airfield. All the rest of the crew survived their descent.
The aircraft was plotted half way across the North Sea and heading for Germany and never seen again. The reason for the loss of engine power was thought to have been due to the engines running on hot air, a device used under icing conditions which reduced power to the engines.
The Griffiths crew completed a demanding tour in mid July 1944 and Jimmy Griffiths was subsequently awarded a well earned DFC.
Item compiled by David Fell. I have had the photo for many years and cannot recall who sent it to me.
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