Edward Henry John Morgan RAFVR - 576 Sqn - RAF Elsham Wolds - 1944 - Air Gunner.
Failed to Return - 16/17th June 1944 - F/L George E Stockdale RCAF and crew - Lancaster III - ME810 - Op Sterkrade.
Sergeant Morgan (pictured above, the right hand pic with his parents) was posted to 576 Squadron as Air Gunner in the crew of George Stockdale RCAF in April 1944. This crew started flying operations on the 18/19th April 1944 to Rouen.
Crew for all but the first 3 operations were
G.E. Stockdale, D.E. Fabb, D.W. Stewart, D. Fuller, J K Grey, R.A. Jack, E.H.J. Morgan
George Stockdale is back row left. Douglas Fuller back row 3rd from left. Douglas Fabb front row left. Edward Morgan is front row middle and Ross Jack front row right.
The wireless operator, Sgt Grey, was replaced by Sgt G Webster for the first operation
and Sgt W S Wooldridge for the 2nd and 3rd.
They completed 17 operations and were lost on their 18th.
18/04/1944 - Rouen - ME586 - F/O GE Stockdale RCAF
22/04/1944 - Dusseldorf - LL838 - F/O GE Stockdale RCAF
24/04/1944 - Karlsruhe - LL838 - F/O GE Stockdale RCAF
26/04/1944 - Essen - LL838 - F/O GE Stockdale RCAF
30/04/1944 - Maintenon - ME586 - F/O GE Stockdale RCAF
03/05/1944 - Mailly-le-Camp - LL800 - F/O GE Stockdale RCAF
07/05/1944 - Rennes St Jacques - LL800 - P/O GE Stockdale RCAF
09/05/1944 - Mardyck - JA868 - F/O GE Stockdale RCAF
11/05/1944 - Hasselt - JA868 - P/O GE Stockdale RCAF
19/05/1944 - Orleans - LM532 - F/O GE Stockdale RCAF
21/05/1944 - Duisburg - NE171 - F/O GE Stockdale RCAF
22/05/1944 - Dortmund - LL838 - F/O GEStockdaleRCAF
02/06/1944 - Calais - ME810 - F/O GE Stockdale RCAF
05/06/1944 - St Martin-de-Varreville/Crisbeq - ME810 - F/O GEStockdaleRCAF
06/06/1944 - Vire - ME810 - F/O GE Stockdale RCAF
09/06/1944 - Flers - ME810 - F/O GE Stockdale RCAF
14/06/1944 - Le Havre - ME810- F/L GE Stockdale RCAF
16/06/1944 - Sterkrade - ME810 - F/L GE Stockdale RCAF - FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed near Deelen airfield, Holland.
This crew took off from Elsham Wolds at 23:01. Shot down by a night fighter and crashed near Deelen airfield, some 10 km NNW from the centre of Arnhem. They were thought to have been the victim of Oberleutnant Johannes Hager and his radar operator Oberfeldwebel Bergen of II./NJG flying an Heinkel He219 A-0 night fighter. ME810 was attacked with upward firing cannon ( Schrage Musik )
....................
The three RCAF members of the crew now rest in the Canadian War Cemetery at Groesbeek, while the others rest in Arnhem (Moscowa) General Cemetery.
F/L George Edward Stockdale RCAF ( pictured above ) – Pilot – 576 Sqn - Son of Mrs. F. Stockdale of Hamilton, Ontario – Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands.
Sgt. Douglas Ernest Fabb RAFVR – Flight Engineer – 576 Sqn - Son of Albert Steven and Rose Maude Fabb of Loughton, Essex - Arnhem ( Moscowa ) General Cemetery, Netherlands.
F/O Donald Winterburn Stewart RAFVR – Air Bomber – 27 – 576 Sqn - Son of David Winterburn Stewart and Annie Stewart (nee Finlayson) of Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire – Arnhem ( Moscowa ) General Cemetery, Netherlands
F/O Douglas Fuller RCAF ( pictured below ) – Navigator – 20 – 576 Sqn - Son of Glen Minto Fuller and Vera Marvel Fuller of Windsor, Ontario - Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands.
Sgt. James Kilvington Gray RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner – 22 – 576 Sqn - Son of James and Mary Esther Gray of Selby, Yorkshire - Arnhem ( Moscowa ) General Cemetery, Netherlands.
Sgt Edward Henry John Morgan RAFVR – Air Gunner – 576 Sqn - Arnhem ( Moscowa ) General Cemetery, Netherlands
F/S Ross Alexander Jack RCAF ( pictured below ) – Air Gunner – 23 – 576 Sqn - Son of William and Janet Jack of Newton, Ontario - Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands
F/O Douglas Fuller RCAF
F/S Ross Alexander Jack RCAF
Above - L to R - Ross Jack and George Stockdale
....................
16 June 44 – Sterkrade – Germany - Synthetic Oil Plant - Night. 21 aircraft detailed. 10/10ths cloud covered the whole route there and back. Target, a synthetic oil plant, was obscured by cloud and crews bombed on the glow of the TIs or by H2S.
Flak was moderate to heavy predicted and intense barrage. Sightings of enemy aircraft were numerous and many combats were reported.
F/L Stockdale and crew and P/O Puttock and crew failed to return. All the rest of the crews returned to base.
Flt/O Sawyer had an abortive due to failure of navigation aid.
( 321 aircraft. Bombing was scattered but some loads fell in the plant area. The bombers passed near a German night fighter beacon at Bocholt which the German controller had chosen as his holding point. Consequently the fighters made early contact with the stream and took a heavy toll of the attacking force. )
....................
Above - Original Grave marker for Sgt Morgan at Arnhem General cemetery.
Above - Edward Morgan’s brother, Cadet Leslie R. Morgan, receiving his wings at Wonderboom, Transvaal, South Africa to become a Pilot Officer Instructor, No.21 Air School, Kimberley, SA. The ceremony took place five months before Ted Morgan was killed
Above - Commemorative Scroll for Edward Morgan.
Above - Nephew of Uncle Ted (Sgt E.H.J. Morgan), his wife Jean Day (left) and Rosemary Balcomb, close friend of the couple, visit the grave at Arnhem on the 50th anniversary of his death in a night bombing raid on a German oil installation. Homage was paid in words and a champagne toast at the graveside headstone, which had been lovingly upgraded and maintained by the War Graves Commission. Sgt Morgan rests alongside British members of the Lancaster crew, Off. D.W. Stewart; Sgt J.K. Gray; Sgt D.E. Fabb.
Compiled by David Fell with thanks to Bill Day and family. Other photos from various sources in Canada including the Stockdale family.
....................
|
