John James Bowker Ryder DFC AFC RAFVR and crew – 576 Squadron – 1944
John Ryder ( pictured above ) and crew were posted to 576 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds around late April 1944.
The crew consisted of
Sgt J J B Ryder RAFVR - Pilot
Sgt J D Jones RAFVR – Flight Engineer
Sgt D W Stevens RAFVR – Air Bomber
Sgt J D Madden RCAF - Navigator
Sgt A H Ford RAFVR – Wireless Operator
Sgt D W Shields RCAF – Air Gunner
Sgt T Hart RAFVR – Air Gunner
Ryder crew - Donald Stevens extreme left.
Above - L to R Ford, Ryder and Madden
Above - Shields
Above - Jones
Above - Hart
Above - Ford
Apart from a couple of substitutions the crew flew mostly unchanged throughout their tour
John Ryder flew his first operation as second pilot on the 7th May 1944 to Rennes St Jacques with P/O KC Murray and crew in ND859.
He then flew with his own crew and they completed their tour as follows :-
09/05/1944 – Mardyck - Coastal gun batteries – ND903 – Sgt JJB Ryder
10/05/1944 – Dieppe - Railway yards – ND903 – Sgt JJB Ryder
21/05/1944 – Duisburg - Point of Aim – LL799 – Sgt JJB Ryder
22/05/1944 – Dortmund - Point of Aim – LL799 – Sgt JJB Ryder
24/05/1944 – Aachen - Railway yards – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
27/05/1944 – Aachen - Railway yards – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
09/06/1944 – Flers - Airfield LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
12/06/1944 – Gelsenkirchen – Oil – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
14/06/1944 - Le Havre - Naval forces – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
16/06/1944 – Sterkrade – Oil – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
17/06/1944 – Aulnoye - Railway yards – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
23/06/1944 – Saintes - Railway yards – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
24/06/1944 – Flers - V weapon – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
27/06/1944 - Chateau Benapre - V weapon – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
29/06/1944 – Domleger - V weapon – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
30/06/1944 - Oisemont Neuville Au Bois - Army support – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
02/07/1944 – Domleger - V weapon – LM122 - F/S JJB Ryder
04/07/1944 – Orleans - Railway yards – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
05/07/1944 – Dijon - Railway yards – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
07/07/1944 – Caen - Army support – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
12/07/1944 – Revigny - Railway yards – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
14/07/1944 – Revigny - Railway yards – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
17/07/1944 – Sanneville - V weapon - LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
18/07/1944 - Scholven Buer – Oil – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
20/07/1944 – Wizernes - V weapon – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
24/07/1944 – Stuttgart - Point of Aim – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
03/08/1944 – Trossy-St-Maximin - V weapon – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
04/08/1944 – Pauillac – Oil – LM122 – F/S JJB Ryder
05/08/1944 – Blaye – Oil – LM122 – P/O JJB Ryder
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John Ryder
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John Ryder was awarded a DFC on completion of his tour which was gazetted on the 12th December.
Post war he flew with 59 Squadron of Transport Command equipped with Avro Yorks during the Berlin Airlift in 1948/49. He was awarded an AFC at this time.
On the 12th January 1953 John Ryder was flying a Handley Page Hastings C1 TG602 which crashed in Egypt after take off from RAF Fayid when both elevator and the tailplane broke away and all five crew and four passengers died.
The aircraft was part of the 'Hastings Flight' that was on detachment at Fayid for the Mau-Mau emergency and was undertaking a training flight. The Hastings climbed away in steep turns after take off. At a height of about 2000 feet the starboard elevator broke away, followed by the port elevator and the tailplane. The aircraft lost control and crashed into the ground approx 4 miles south west of the airfield.
It was determined that during initial climb, due to vibrations, the right elevator detached followed shortly later by the left elevator and the rudder or tail assembly. Out of control, the aircraft dove into the ground and crashed. Investigation revealed that a certain modification which included the installation of increased diameter bolts in the tail section had not been carried out on TG602.
F/L Ryder and his 8 comrades were laid to rest at Fayid War Cemetery
F/L John James Bowker Ryder DFC AFC RAF – Pilot – 29 – RAF Abingdon – Fayid War Cemetery, Egypt
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Sgt Donald William Stevens RAFVR.
On completion of his tour Donald Stevens was posted for duties as an instructor. He was later based at Charmy Down near Bath where he met his future wife. They were married in May 1946. When he was demobbed they moved to Chudleigh in Devon from where he originated and started a retail business selling footwear. This lasted for 39 years until he retired due to ill health. Asthma. Sadly he passed away in January 1989
Item compiled by David Fell with thanks to the Stevens family for the photos.
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