Lancaster LM206 crash from 514 Squadron

Hi Milavia. I will have to check on my old computer which is now in the garage. Maybe I still have here address there. The last time I was in contact with her was in 2008 . I still have contact with Thomas Harvell and am currently gathering some Joan of Arcs Relics for him. I hope he is fine.

 

I seem to have forgotten how to use this site. I have posted two messages in reply to yours of 30th September but neither of them shows on the forum. What am I doing wrong?

 

Hi Milavia

I may have recently contacted you through another forum but in case you're not the same person I'm posting a reprise of a message I left on a thread started by Alex Campbell of 514 Sqn started elsewhere on WW2f.com

"My cousin, Flt Sgt Frank 'Stanley' Jones flew with 514 Sqn and was shot down on the same night as Alex, 28/29 July 1944, during the large scale raid on Stuttgart. Sadly Stanley was killed along with four of his fellow crew members. The pilot of his Lanc was also a 'Jones' - F/Lt Robert Jones. I've attached a photo of Stanley together with a copy of the letter my Great Aunt received on 30 July 1944. As you can see, the letter is signed by Wing Commander M Wyatt who's signature is on Alex's flight log book (http://www.hilaroad.com/RCAF/59_60.jpg).

Their plane crashed near Neufchateau in France and he's buried there with his comrades. I've a copy of a very touching letter from a Charles Lang from Neufchateau dated January 1946 addressed to F/Lt Robert Jones' mother. Charles Lang tended to one of the two survivors (Sgt Harvell) and confirmed that one other crew member - Sgt G Robinson - had survived but had been taken prisoner. My Great Aunt could never bring herself to visit the grave but after the war the mothers of F/O Loder and Sgt Lane together with Sgt Harvell visited Neufchateau as guests of the town corporation. A newspaper article from the time describes the visit at length and is very moving. I've not been over to France to visit the cemetery myself but other members of my family have and they said that the graves are clearly well tended even after all these years.

If anyone is interested in the other letter and newspaper article I'd be happy to post it onto this thread. Similarly if anyone is researching F/Lt R Jones, F/O K Loder, Sgt G Robinson, Sgt Lane, Sgt W Braine or Sgt T Harwell, I'd be delighted to hear from them.

As a family we've always been very proud of Stanley and the bravery and self-sacrifice of his and Alex's generation. If anyone can shed any light on Stanley's time in 514 Sqn I'd be very grateful."

Through this excellent forum I've since discovered, within a very short space of time, that Stanley was part of the crew of LM206 and that Thomas Harvell and George Robinson not only survived but are still with us. George Robinson was probably the last person to see my cousin alive as they'd have sat next to each other as W/Op and Navigator.

I've attached the photo and the letter from 514 Sqn to my Great Aunt dated 30/7/1944 and have also attached the letter from Charles Lang and the newspaper article. We've a photo of the graves taken shortly after the burial (and therefore while Neufchateau was still under occupation) and my mother also has a photo of Stanley in a group taken while at OTU. I'd expected this photo to show the rest of the crew as I believe they tended to 'group up' from that stage of their training and in most cases stay together come what may. I'll get hold of these, scan them and upload them.

I'd be really happy to hear from you and to find out more about the crew and their service record. Stanley was an only child and my Great Aunt was estranged from her husband. Consequently his death was a massive blow to her and she rarely spoke of him and nor did she keep many of his things except for some photos of him when he was younger. We've remembered him as a family but sadly don't know much about his life in the RAF.

Chris

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Hi Chris, Please, please contact me on mikej.lane@tiscali.co.uk

 

Hi Milavia, sorry not to have anwsered your PM . I totally forgot about it. I'm glad you saw this thread before I did, I was going to tell you about Chris when I read you post and realized you already knew each other.

 

Hi Skipper

For obvious reasons I'd really like to get in touch with Thomas Harvell. If you could contact him on my behalf to see if he'd be willing to hear from me I'd be very grateful. I have a feeling that he lives quite close to me (I'm in Winchester, UK). Also if you have Claire Robinson(?)'s contact details could you see if she would be happy for me to make contact?

Many thanks

Chris

 

Hi Chris, I will contact both of them and let them know your are willing to get in touch.

 

Hi Skipper,
Glad you got my message will await to hear from you on the Forum or direct e-mail. Actually I only came across Chris's posting yesterday by chance. We have not yet met or communicated previously but I am waiting to hear from him again. We obviously have lot to talk about.

 

hi everybody this is my first post,i came across this site while doing a bit of family research, my uncle was alfred richard braine rear gunner on lm206 aged 19 from stepney east london. i have read acounts of the mission on the internet and another uncle gave me a copy of the gunnery school picture apart from that picture we have just one other of him with my father aged about 5 and 6. does any one know of any other pictures of him or the crew i will keep reading these post with intrest. many thanks tony braine

 

It was a pleasant suprise to come across this thread and to see how my Grandad has helped several of you. I am sad to to pass on the news that my amazing grandad died yesterday morning. He had a very long and wonderful life and will be dearly missed.

 

Hello Mel. I am so so sorry to hear that Thomas has died he was certainly a very remarkable man. I feel very privalged to have known him and I will never forget the day I spent at his home on 6 December 2011. Tom helped me so much with my research into my Uncle Sqt Robert Lane and I will always treasure all the material he has provided me in this regard. Sadly I have had to cancel my visit to Neufchataeu Cemetery this month but I will be thinking of all the crew on the 29th July. Tom will be sadly missed and I extend my sincere condolences to all his family wherever they may be. Best wishes Milavia.

 

Hello Mel, this is indeed sad news. I was about to send him a little parcel with Joan of Arc collectables . I wish I would have done it before. I will always cherish the signed photograph I received from him a few years ago. Thomas was one of my heroes. May he rest in peace

 

I have added a link to this wonderful thread at the database record for this loss report now located at: http://lostaircraft.com/
(Thankfully a 100% Editable Wiki Now.)

Direct url to the loss record for LM206 JI-C at: http://lostaircraft.com/database.php?mode=viewentry&e=9543

Are there any discrepancies in the file that needs to be corrected?
Anything else noteworthy there that you would like to change or make additions to?

Tnx! Fred

 

If anyone is still following this topic I am currently writing the second volume of the story of 514 Squadron. 'Nothing Can Stop Us' is the narrative history and crew records and I would be delighted to hear from anyone who is linked to 514 Squadron and its members. Please drop me a line at 514squadronraf(at)gmail.com replacing (at) with @ of course. There is also a Facebook community 514 Squadron RAF which is very active.

The first volume is called 'Striking Through Clouds' and is the War Diary of the squadron, based on the ORB supplemented by research into all losses. Forums such as this are extremely helpful, so thank you for the information, and I look forward to making contact with you.

Best regards

Simon Hepworth

 

Claire and Tony B: would you consider writing an TV Episode or two of Murray Peden's book A Thousand Shall Fall based on this loss record?

See: http://www.ww2f.com/topic/38106-a-thousand-shall-fall-by-murray-peden-perhaps-the-best-bomber-command-book-ever/?hl=+i#entry601937
From: http://www.ww2f.com/topic/38106-a-thousand-shall-fall-by-murray-peden-perhaps-the-best-bomber-command-book-ever/

cc at: http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/56613-a-1000-shall-fall-ww2talk-script-writers-challenge/

 

I'm very sad to report that my friend, George Robinson, passed away this morning aged 94

 

Graeme please the PM that I sent you
Roger G.