大象传媒

Sergeant Thomas Earle of 426 鈥楾hunderbird鈥� Squadron RCAF Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire was was killed in action in March 1944, on his 16th bombing sortie.

This story was written in 1994 (and revised in 1997, 2001 and 2003) by Sergeant Earle鈥檚 nephew David Woodbridge. It is submitted by Hitchin Museum on behalf of Mr. Woodbridge, with his permission.

Introduction:
Tom was a much loved uncle, remembered by me as a kind man who mended our wireless when it went wrong, who used to take me to Boorman's Garage in Letchmore Road in Stevenage (Hertfordshire) to get the accumulator for our wireless charged and who gave exciting Christmas presents. He didn't see us very often as he was in the RAF but he wrote many letters from Canada.

Memories were sharpened when my mother heard that he was missing after a raid over Germany in March 1944 when I was 10 years old. I remember her listening in vain to the wireless for many weeks to the seemingly endless lists of prisoners of war, hoping that he had been taken prisoner.
This is his story. He was one of 55,000 Bomber Command aircrew killed out of 125,000 volunteers in World War II.

Tom's Story:
Thomas Earle was born on 27th April 1905 to Thomas and Elizabeth Earle, a brother for Mary and Alice. He lived in Providence Road, Stevenage and was brought up mainly by his eldest sister Alice (my auntie Lal) as their mother died soon after his birth. As far as we know he went to school in Stevenage, first to St Nicholas Infants School in the Avenue and then to Letchmore Road Boys School which he left when he was 14.

He worked for The Stevenage Motor Company as a car mechanic, but in 1936, with Germany re-arming and a war possible, he joined the RAF as ground crew. In 1940 he volunteered for aircrew and did his initial training at Harwell. He was transferred to Bomber Command and continued training at Debden (Essex), Aldegrove (County Antrim) and in Alberta, Canada. My cousin Peter remembers going up to London to see a show at the Saville Theatre called 鈥楿p and Doing鈥� before he left for Canada.

From 1941 to 1943 he was at RAF Training School No 36, RAF Penhold in Alberta, where he trained as a Flight Engineer. At the end of 1943 he joined RCAF 426 (Thunderbird) Squadron (6 Bomber Group) flying Mk II Lancasters with the motto "On wings of fire", from Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire.

Before Tom became operational, 426 Squadron had distinguished itself in Operation Hydra, the bombing of Peenemunde, the top secret German missile base, on August 17/18th 1943.

From January to March 1944 Tom flew sixteen bombing sorties over Germany as a Flight Engineer in Lancasters. At 35 he was the oldest in the crew and must have been like an elder brother to the rest. The youngest was probably little over eighteen. These sorties included raids on Brunswick, Leipzig, Berlin, Magdeburg, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Schweinfurt, Augsberg, and finally Essen.

At 19.58 on March 26th 1944, Lancaster MkII DS789/OW 鈥淎鈥� took off from Linton-on-Ouse, one of ten Lancasters from 426 Squadron. Only nine returned.

Tom was posted as missing and, after many weeks, he was reported as being buried at Munchen near Essen. According to his death certificate, he was shot down near Gelsenkirchen. We now know that the plane was hit by flak at 18,000ft and exploded, scattering debris in and around Bottrop near Gelsenkirchen. The whole crew was buried together at the Rheichswald Forest War Cemetery near Cleve in Germany.

My mother, Mary Woodbridge and my aunt, Alice Cherry, visited Apeldoorn in Holland in July 1949 and from there went to the Rheichswald Cemetery with The Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

My wife and I visited Rheichswald Forest in April 1994 just 50 years from the date of Tom鈥檚 death. It was an emotional visit; his was the only grave with daffodils growing round it. It is good to think that my mother perhaps planted them. She never really recovered from her loss but Tom's last letter, written for his next of kin in case of his death was not sad. 鈥淚've had a lot of fun and just hope I've done a good job and that if you receive this letter, I hope it wouldn't have hurt too much.鈥�
鈥淚 hope there鈥檚 a lot of fun to come鈥�, were his last words to us.

He left no family, as he never married. He left me his slide-rule, a voltmeter (which is still working - my digital meter died long ago!) and a screwdriver and the sum of 拢63 to his sisters. But he left us to live in freedom from tyranny which, even now, we don't fully appreciate.

The Lancaster MkII:
The Lancaster was the most successful British heavy bomber of WW2; over 7,300 were built. Designed by A V Roe it had four engines, a wing span of 102ft, overall length of 69ft, maximum weight with full fuel tanks and a full bomb load of 68,000lbs, (only achieved with a modified bomb bay for the 22,000lb 鈥楪rand Slam鈥� high penetration bomb). Each plane underwent at least 500,000 separate manufacturing operations, consisted of 55,000 parts, and took 35,000 man (and woman) hours to build.
The Mark II, as flown by Tom, differed from the I and III in having four Bristol Hercules VI or XVI engines rather than the famous Rolls Royce Merlin X or XX engines. It was thought that there might be a shortage of Merlins and only 300 Mk IIs were built. The Merlins had a maximum power of 1620bhp compared with 1735bhp for the Hercules giving the Mark II an advantage over the Mark I and III of slightly better takeoff, ascent and low altitude flying characteristics. But they were slower, used more fuel and had a normal cruising height of 18,500ft compared with 23,000ft for the Mark I and IIIs. The Mark II also had an enlarged bomb bay compared to the I and III, to accommodate the 8,000lb High Explosive 鈥楥ookie鈥� as in the DS series Lancaster MkII, manufactured by Armstrong Whitworth, Coventry, from 1943-1944.
The Mark II was fitted with 鈥楪鈥�, a navigational aid using a grid of radio beams of different frequencies, and also with H2S, said to stand for "Home Sweet Home" or because of the stink which occurred because it wasn't introduced earlier! This was a blind bombing aid based on reflection of a microwave beam from objects on the ground. Water appeared black and buildings as fuzzy white images on a cathode ray tube.

Lancaster MkII Specifications:
Span 102ft, Length 69ft 4ins, Height 19ft 7ins.
Takeoff weight (max) 68,000 lbs.
Maximum Speed 287mph at 11,500ft. Ceiling 24,500ft.
Range 1730miles. Load 18,000lbs (max).

The crew of Lancaster MkII DS789/OW 鈥淎鈥�:
Pilot Officer A L Olsson RCAF, Pilot
Pilot Sergeant T Earle RAF, Flight Engineer
Pilot Officer J O Koivu RCAF, Navigator
Pilot Officer T H Proudlock RCAF, Bomb Aimer /Air Gunner (Front)
Warrant Officer C G Phinney RCAF, Wireless Operator
Sergeant B Y Jones RAF, Air Gunner (Mid Upper)
Flight Sergeant F E Fox RAF, Air Gunner (Tail)

The Flight Engineer:
Flight Engineers tended to be the oldest in the crew. They normally came from an engineering background and would have worked as apprentices in civilian life becoming ground crew first, then aircrew. Tom would have been exceptional, joining the regular RAF at the age of 28. Training took about two years and as in Tom's case, was often in Canada where over 10,040 men were trained.

The Flight Engineer鈥檚 job was complex and involved liaison with ground crew to identify and solve problems. Before a sortie he was responsible for checking all electrical, hydraulic and mechanical systems were working correctly, the fuel tanks in the wings were balanced and that the engines were running at the correct temperatures and oil pressures, and that there was no outstanding damage to be repaired. This included over forty outside checks on flaps and mechanical linkages, including checking for oil, hydraulic and fuel leaks and checking his own and the pilot's control panels.

During take-off and landing he assisted the pilot with control of engine speeds, monitoring all systems and rectifying minor problems. During the flight he would monitor the balance in the fuel tanks and transfer petrol from one to the other to ensure even flight. He would look out for flak and enemy fighters, go forward into the nose and help the bomb aimer to drop 鈥榳indow鈥� to confuse enemy radar. If the plane were damaged, resulting in loss of control, he would make every effort to rectify the problem and assist the pilot to keep the plane flying correctly. The flight engineer would also help keep the plane straight and level during the bombing run. If the pilot was killed or injured, then Tom could take over and fly the plane, having been trained for this eventuality during basic training and on conversion to operational duties on Lancasters. This explains entries in Tom's flying log during December 1943, which read 鈥榗ircuits鈥�.

Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire:
Linton-on-Ouse airfield, five miles North West of York, was an RAF station from 1937. By 1941 it was part of Bomber Group 4 and became part of Bomber Group 6 of the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942.

By late 1943 the airfield had been expanded to include one concrete 2,000 yard runway with two 1,400 yard runways at 60 degree angles. This was surrounded by a concrete taxiway about four miles long with dispersal points at regular intervals, where the planes were kept for routine maintenance and for 鈥榤inor鈥� repairs, which included propeller replacements! There was a control tower, a NAAFI, one large hanger for major repairs, air raid shelters, stores and a bomb store well away from the main buildings. Away from the main airfield were sleeping quarters, medical facilities, canteen, cinema and other recreational facilities and a chapel, together with accommodation for over 2,500 men and women, which included administrative staff and ground crew.

We visited Linton-on-Ouse, now a training centre, in 1995 and again in 2003 when we were shown The Memorial Room and given much useful extra information which is included in this history. We toured the airfield and were shown the original Lancaster hangar and administrative buildings, much as they were in 1944 with some of the camouflage paint still showing faintly on the brickwork. We visited 鈥楢ldwark Manor鈥� where the NCOs were billeted when not on duty at Linton and 鈥楾he Dawnay Arms鈥�, the crews鈥� local.

In 1999 we visited East Kirby bomber station in Lincolnshire where the original control tower and concrete perimeter taxi way were still in existence. We were privileged to see a Lancaster start up and taxi with that incredible sound of four Merlin engines running together. We were taken on a trip round the perimeter, which gave some idea of the size of the undertaking. We came away with the abiding impression of just how cold it must have been in winter when the ground crew, the 鈥榚rks鈥�, had to cycle three or four miles in the early morning and work all day in all kinds of weather. Tom mentions in one of his letters that he had acquired a bicycle, which he used except when going to dispersal before a raid.

Raids involving Sgt Thomas Earle, 1944
In format - Date, Destination, Total number of aircraft, Number of Lancasters, Losses.

14/15 January, Brunswick, 498, 496, 38
20/21 January, Berlin, 769, 495, 13
21/22 January, Magdeburg, 648, 421, 22
27/28 January, Berlin, 530, 515, 33
28/29 January, Berlin, 677, 432, 20
30/31 January, Berlin, 534, 440, 32
15/16 February, Berlin, 891 561, 26
19/20 February, Leipzig, 823, 561, 44
20/21 February, Stuttgart, 598, 460, 7
24/25 February, Schweinfurt, 734, 554, 26
25/26 February, Augsburg, 594, 461, 16
15/16 March, Stuttgart, 863, 617, 27
18/19 March, Frankfurt, 846, 620, 10
22/23 March, Frankfurt, 816, 620, 26
24/25 March, Berlin, 811, 577, 44
26/27 March, Essen, 705, 476, 6

Essen - 6 Lancasters lost, Tom posted as missing. Significantly, Wing Commander W C Swetman was awarded an immediate D S 0 as a result of this raid.

The Raid on Essen 26-27th March 1944:
At Linton-on-Ouse, all Lancasters of 426 鈥楾hunderbird鈥� Squadron in flying condition were checked at their dispersal points. Aircraft DS711/OW "B" regularly flown by P/O Olsson was in repair having been badly shot up several days earlier. This was taken as a bad omen by four of the crew, including Tom who individually spoke to Sgt Hughes-Games the NCO in charge of servicing that night. One of the mess staff who had just become engaged to Vic Jones the mid-upper gunner was in tears and said, 鈥淪he just knew they weren't coming back鈥�. Tom's Lancaster DS789/OW 鈥淎鈥� was bombed up with one 8,000 lb High Explosive 鈥楥ookie鈥� and 426 Incendiaries, loaded with over 2,000 gallons of high octane fuel and checked by ground crew. All aircrew flying that day attended a morning briefing when details of the targets in Essen, the bomb loads, rallying point, route, predicted weather conditions and specific problems were discussed. The Essen area was well defended; it contained Krupp armament factories and an oil refinery at nearby Gelsenkirchen.

In the afternoon, the crews rested and then collected their flying gear, ate a traditional meal of bacon and eggs and were taken to the dispersal points by motorised transport as they were weighed down by flying kit, parachutes and the breathing apparatus for high altitudes. The transports were often driven by WAAFS, which must have been traumatic for them knowing that they might not see these men again.

The aircraft was checked by ground crew and by Tom as Flight Engineer. It taxied from dispersal to the main runway, taking off with nine other Lancasters of 426 Squadron at 19.58 and rendezvoused over the East Coast with the main bomber stream.
The stream flew at 18,000-20,000 ft for the raid on Essen, avoiding areas of high flak and enemy fighters by 鈥榙og legging鈥� to the target. The target area was clearly marked by Oboe-equipped Mosquitoes and bombs were released at 20,000- 23,000ft through cloud.

Nothing was heard from DS789/OW 鈥淎鈥� after take off but it is likely that the target was bombed successfully. We now know that DS789/OW 鈥淎鈥� was hit by flak and exploded over Bottrop near Gelsenkirchen. The debris was spread over a wide area in and around Bottrop, about five kilometers north-east of Essen. According to the 鈥�426 Thunderbird Diary鈥� P/4 Coulombe saw all seven crew bale out. It is surprising that none of them survived.

705 bombers had taken part; 476 Lancasters, 207 Halifaxes, and 22 Mosquitoes. Six Lancasters were lost, almost the lowest total during that spring. Considerable damage was inflicted on Essen: 48 industrial premises and 1756 houses hit, 550 people killed including 74 slave workers and 138 concentration camp inmates. By the end of the war, it is estimated that 28% of industrial buildings, 24 % of housing and 20% of all facilities had been severely damaged.

Looking back:
It is impossible for us to appreciate the full horror of flying over occupied Europe in a Lancaster. The crew was in continuous darkness for six to nine hours, in cramped conditions, enduring deafening engine noise, using breathing equipment, at temperatures well below freezing and mainly in radio silence.

They knew that mechanical failure, fire, damage from anti aircraft fire and night fighter attack could cause injury or death and that the plane could be brought down over hostile country. The chances of escape from the plane were slim and even if they landed safely, capture on the ground and imprisonment for the rest of the war was almost inevitable. They were well aware too that the chance of surviving thirty raids, the normal tour of duty, was probably less than 50% at that period of the war.

It is for these reasons I feel it is essential not to forget the sacrifices of these men and many thousands more for our freedom today.

Acknowledgements:
I spoke with Ken Willis, who was a rear gunner in Lancasters in late 1944. He suggested that at the time Tom was flying in early 1944, the life expectancy of a rear gunner was five sorties and the average life of a bomber, flying over Germany, was fifteen. It is very sad that Tom was shot down on his sixteenth sortie, particularly when his was the only plane in his Squadron not to return on that occasion and one of only six lost out of a total of 476 Lancasters.

A discussion with David Clarke, who amazingly built and assembled parts of Lancaster MkIIs including the DS Series at Coventry from 1943-1944, gave me some idea of the complexity and scale of the Manufacturing Process.

I would like to thank Marion, my wife, who suffered from my obsession with this project and provided much helpful advice on layout and content. Also Ken King, who visited the Central Office of Information and loaned me several books. David Baines gave me information on the Crew of DS789/OW 鈥淎鈥� and gave me printouts from the War Graves Commission Website.
I am indebted to Peter Naylor, curator of the Linton-on-Ouse Memorial Room who showed us around the airfield and Memorial Room and gave me much valuable information.

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