Trafford

Observer.

His regular crew were:-  Pilot - Pilot Officer Amery Yeo (aged: 31);   
Second Pilot - Sergeant Robert Owen Docking RCAF (aged: 21);    Observer
(later called Navigators) - Pilot Officer Alastair Boyd Brown (aged: 27);  
 Wireless Operator/Air Gunner - Flight Sergeant John Ronald Hurt (aged:
21);    Flight Engineer - Pilot Officer Eric Berry (aged: 20);    Wireless
Operator/Air Gunner - Sergeant Henry Brown (aged: 25);    Rear Gunner -
Acm2 Alfred Smith (aged: 20).  Also Sergeant D.O. Williams who was injured
in the crash, but survived the war.   Other crew members that were listed
on different ops, but who did not take part in the ill-fated mission on the
17th June 1941, were - Sergeants Marriott, Bishop and Kemsley.

02/06/1941 - Took off at 23.45 hours in a Wellington Mk Ic - No. ZR1517
KO-Z.  Their bomb load comprised 1 x 4,000 lb G.P (Cookie);  7 x 500 lb
G.P's.  They experienced severe icing and the a/c would not climb above
12,000 feet, so they returned to base with all bombs.  They landed at 03.37
hours - all the other a/c involved in the raid were back safely by 05.45
hours.

12/06/1941 - Took off at 23.55 hours in a Wellington Mk Ic - No. ZR1517
KO-Z.  They bombed from 14,000 feet with all their bombs falling south to
north over the target area.  No results were observed owing to the haze.

15/06/1941 - Took off at 23.29 hours in a Wellington Mk Ic - No. ZR1517
KO-Z to bomb Cologne.  They bombed from 13,000 feet with all their bombs
falling in the town area.  Some Flak and searchlights - but no results seen
except flashes.  The landed at 05.26 hours.

17/06/1941 - Took off at 15.55 hours in a Wellington Mk 1c No. ZR1517 KO-Z
for an air test.   They climbed slowly to 500 feet, whereupon the aircraft
turned through 180º and dived back towards the ground.    At about 15 feet
the bomber suddenly levelled out, but then crashed and burst into flames at
Palgrave Farm, Sporle, 2 miles NE of Swaffam, Norfolk.    Total losses 6
crew, with 1 injured.

No 115 Squadron, RFC, was formed at Catterick, Yorkshire, on 1st December
1917, and at the end of August 1918, after having been equipped with
Handley Page 0/400 twin-engined bombers, joined the Independent Force in
France. Its first raid was made on 16/17th September when nearly 4 tons of
bombs were dropped on Metz-Sablon. For this raid the squadron was
congratulated by Major-General Sir Hugh Trenchard and the OC 83rd Wing
described the raid as "the finest piece of work which has ever been done by
a new squadron". Its most successful raid was made against Morhange
airfield when five 0/400s, making double trips, dropped 61/2 tons of bombs
on their objective. During its service in France, No 115 made fifteen
raids, the longest being to Baden and dropped 26 tons of bombs.

Disbanded in 1919, the squadron was re-formed as No 115 (Bomber) Squadron
in 1937 and in the Second World War took part in scores of raids and also
played an active part in Gardening (minelaying) for victory. In April 1940,
while flying Wellingtons (and while on temporary loan to Coastal Command)
it gained the distinction of making the RAF's first bombing raid of the war
on a mainland target-the enemy-held Norwegian airfield of Stavanger/Sola.
Sixteen months later, in August 1941, it undertook the initial Service
trials of Gee, the first of the great radar navigational and bombing aids.1
As a result of its subsequent report on these trials Gee was put into
large-scale production for Bomber Command.

From the spring of 1943 onwards No 115 flew Lancasters and for a while it
was one of the relatively few operational units to use the Mark II version.
The mighty Lancaster, with its huge bomb load, was probably the best-known
bomber of all time and in the closing months of the war No 115 had two
particularly distinguished specimens - Lancaster Is ME803 and '836. The
former joined the squadron in May 1944, and between 31st May/1st June that
year when it bombed Trappes West marshalling yards and 22nd April 1945,
when it bombed Bremen, it logged 105 operational sorties. From May to
October 1944, it served with "C" Flight (which had formed in November 1943)
and was coded "A4-D". "C" Flight became the nucleus of No 195 Squadron in
October 1944, but ME803 remained with No 115 and was re-coded "KO-L"; it
retained these letters up to and including 27th February 1945, the date of
its 101st operational sortie (if not longer), and made its subsequent trips
- beginning 9/10th April - as "IL-B" of the new "C" Flight, which had begun
operations in November 1944. In May 1945, ME803 was transferred to No 1659
HCU.

The other Lancaster, ME836, joined No 115 in May or June 1944 (from No. 75
Squadron, but without any ops to its credit), and between 11/12th June,
when it bombed Nantes and 24th April 1945, when it bombed Bad Oldesloe
(using the G-H blind-bombing radar device with which it was then equipped),
made 97 operational sorties. It made the first 37 as "A4-C" and the
remainder - beginning 15th November 1944 - as "KO-S".

The Squadron carried on flying Lancasters until they were replaced by
Lincolns in September 1949 but the Squadron was disbanded on 1 March 1950.
On 13 June 1950 No. 115 was reformed at Marham and in August received
Washingtons which it flew until converted to Canberras in February 1954
until the Squadron was disbanded again on 1 June 1957. On 21 August 1958,
No. 116 Squadron at Watton was renumbered No. 115, moving its Varsities a
few days later to Tangmere for Signals Command duties. In October 1963, it
returned to Watton where the Varsities were supplemented by Argosies during
1968 before it moved to Cottesmore. In August 1970, No. 115 became fully
equipped with Argosies, replacing them with Andovers between 1976 and 1978.
In January 1983, the Squadron moved to Benson where it remained until
disbanded on 1 October 1993.

1. A series of four Gee trials was undertaken in all- one of them (the
first) over the North Sea and the rest over enemy territory. The first
trial over enemy territory took place on 11/12th August 1941: two Gee
aircraft operated over the Ruhr and, thanks to the new navigational aid,
found their target (Monchengladbach) without any searching; bombs were
dropped using Gee co-ordinates for the release and the town was hit. The
Gee equipment proved equally successful in each of the other trials.