Trafford

His father resided at 26 Wynford Street, Salford in 1911.   Albert was born
during the June quarter 1923 in the Salford R.D. - ref: 8d/222, the only
child of Fred & Selina Woodacre (nee Carter).

1939 National Registration - 909 Chester Road, Stretford.   Fred Woodacre -
Married - born:15th January 1901 - occ: Brewery Labourer.  Selina Woodacre
- Married - born: 5th September 1895 - occ: Unpaid Domestic Duties.   There
is one redacted record, which is presumably Albert's record.

He along with his crew were posted into 12 Squadron RAF Wickenby from No
1656 Heavy Conversion Unit on the 28th August 1943.  He flew on the
following operations: 31/08/43   Berlin. 06/09/43   Munich. 23/09/43  
Mannheim.

Flying with 12 Sqn, Bomber Command, he took off from RAF Wickenby at 19.15
hrs in a Lancaster Mk III - No. DV225 PH-H for a bombing mission to
Mannheim.    One of 32 aircraft lost in the Mannheim raid that night.  
Shot down either by night fighters or Ack-Ack at Eggelheim Germany, 20Kms
SW of the target Mannheim.   The crew were as follows:-
Captain - F/O A Gutherie.  Navigator - P/O E C Cook.  Wireless Operator -
Sgt A E Woodacre.  Bomb Aimer -  Sgt T Jolly.  Flight Engineer - Sgt K
Runciman.  Mid Upper Gunner - Sgt L J Ellis.  Rear Gunner - Sgt A J
Williams.   All buried in the Reichwald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.

See the Wickenby Register Club.   http://www.rafwmm.flyer.co.uk/

Bomber Command War Diaries - 23/24 September 1943 - Operation: MANNHEIM

628 aircraft- 312 Lancasters, 193 Halifaxes, 115 Stirlings, 8 Mosquitoes
and 5 B-17s took part.
32 aircraft, comprising - 18 Lancasters, 7 Halifaxes, 7 Wellingtons were
lost = 5.1 percent of the force.

This raid was intended to destroy the northern part of Mannheim, which had
not been so severely hit in the successful raid earlier in the month.   The
Pathfinder plan worked well and concentrated bombing fell on the intended
area, although later stages of the raid crept back across the northern edge
of Ludwigshafen and out into the open country.   The following buildings
were destroyed in Mannheim: 927 houses, 20 industrial premises, 11 schools,
6 public buildings and a church.   A large number of other buildings were
damaged and approximately 25,000 people were bombed out of their homes. 102
people were killed and 418 were injured.   There were more than 2,000
fires.

Local records (provided on this night by Herr Erwin Folz and not from the
local authorities) show that the later stages of the bombing crept back
across the Rhine to the northern part of Ludwigshafen, where the IG. Farben
factory was severely damaged, and then to the smaller outlying towns of
Oppau and Frankenthal.   Ludwigshafen suffered 47 people killed and 260
injured.   A further 8,000 people were bombed out, of whom 4,289 were
foreign workers.   The centre of the small town of Frankenthal was
completely burnt out and 38 people were killed there.