F/S K R Marston RAFVR – Air Bomber – F/O C J Rouse RCAF and crew – RAF Fiskerton - 1944/45.
Failed to Return - 5/6th March 1945 – Lancaster III – PD403 – Op Chemnitz.
Private R Marston – 5th Battalion South Staffordshire Rgt – Killed in Action - 19th August 1944
Above - The Marston brothers. Ken left and Ron right.
The Marston family suffered, like many many others, suffered terrible loss in WW2. Brothers Ken and Ron were both killed. It is not unique to lose more than one family member by any means and the Bools family lost 4 sons all in the RAF. However that can be no consolation to poor Mr and Mrs Marston and their surviving family members.
Ken and Ron were Leicester boys and the sons of William and Rose of Goswell Street.
I know nothing of their pre war history.
Kenneth Marston was the older by a year. He enlisted in the RAFVR mid 43 I should think and was selected for aircrew. He trained as an Air Bomber probably in Canada. He will have returned to the UK around mid 44 and will have crewed up with Canadian Charles Rouse at Operaional training Unit and then on to Heavy Conversion Unit and then to 576 Sqn late November of early Dec 1944.
Their tour was as follows with the Leuna attack of particular note.
17/12/1944 - Ulm - LM594 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF - ER - Hydraulic leak and rear turret U/S
22/12/1944 - Koblenz - NN749 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF - Bad weather at Base. Landed at Charterhall
28/12/1944 - Bonn - NF975 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF
29/12/1944 - Scholven Buer - NG119 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF
02/01/1945 - Nuremberg - PB785 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF
07/01/1945 - Munich - NF975 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF
14/01/1945 - Leuna - NG119 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF
16/01/1945 - Zietz - ME317 - F/O - CJ Rouse RCAF
02/02/1945 - Wiesbaden - PB785 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF
08/02/1945 - Politz - NF975 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF
23/02/1945 - Pforzheim - ME317 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF
28/02/1945 - Neuss - NF976 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF - Ab - Raid recalled due to uncertainty of position friendly troops
01/03/1945 - Mannheim - RF120 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF
02/03/1945 - Cologne - RF120 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF
05/03/1945 - Chemnitz - PD403 - F/O CJ Rouse RCAF - FTR - Crashed in target area.
The reason for the loss of PD403 is not clear but it is thought it may have been due to a collision with another Lancaster over the target. See this most interesting account here.
The ORBs record slight heavy flak in the target area but night fighter activity over the target was noted PD403 was on only 576 Sqn aircraft lost on this raid.
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F/O Charles James Rouse RCAF - Pilot – 576 Sqn - Son of Herbert Walter and Isabelle Rouse of Milden, Saskatchewan, Canada - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Ronald Harold Twin RAFVR – Flight Engineer - 20 – 576 Sqn - Son of Harold and Annie Margaret Twin of Grays, Essex - Runnymede Memorial.
Sgt Kenneth Reginald Marston RAFVR - 21 – 576 Sqn - Son of William F. and Rose Emily Marston of Leicester - Runnymede Memorial
P/O James Thomas Magee RCAF ( pictured below ) - 28 – 576 Sqn - Son of Henry and Catherine Magee, of Verdun, Province of Quebec, Canada; husband of Vera Patricia Magee of Verdun - Runnymede Memorial
F/S Desmond Hendry Hadlow RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner – 576 Sqn – Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery.
Sgt Walter William Dewar RCAF ( Pictured below ) - 19 – 576 Sqn - Son of H. M. and Violet Dewar of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Runnymede Memorial.
P/O Robert William Abrams RCAF ( pictured below ) - 20 – 576 Sqn - Son of Hubert James Abrams and Ella Mabel Abrams of Rockhaven, Saskatchewan, Canada - Runnymede Memorial.
P/O James Thomas Magee RCAF
Sgt Walter William Dewar RCAF
P/O Robert William Abrams RCAF
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F/S DH Hadlow is buried at the 1939/45 Berlin War Cemetery. The remaining members of the crew have no known grave and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Ronald Marston enlisted in the Northumberland Fuseliers as an infantry man and served with the 7th Battalion. The battalion landed in Normandy with the 59th Division on 27 June 1944, and fought with it in the Battle for Caen and Mont Pinçon. Due to a severe manpower shortage in the British Army, the 59th Division was disbanded on 19 October 1944. Ron was then transferred to the another fine regiment – the South Staffordshire Rgt - 5th Battalion. He was killed on the 19th August 1944. I believe he was undertaking mine clearance duties at the time. Ron is buried at the Bayeux War Cemetery in France.
Item written by David Fell with Marston photos from my archive and RCAF Photos from the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
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