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9/10 June 1944. The Crew of Lancaster Bomber ND764. OF-B took off from Coningsby for ETAMPES and shot down leaving the target area with the loss of 5 of the 7 crew members on board.

RAAF P/O.Bryan W Giddings - Killed in action 10th.June 1944

RAAF W/O. W.Bryce Webb - Killed in action.10th.June. 1944

RAAF Bomb Aimer. F/Sgt.Charles Clement - Killed in action June 10th 1944

RAAF Mid Upper Gunner. F/O.John A.D.Mcgill -Killed in action June 10th

RAAF Rear Gunner. F/Sgt. W.John Seale - Killed in action.10th.June 1944

RAAF W/O. R.H.Bethell. P.O.W. Stalag Luft 7 Bankau. Nr. Kreulberg

RAF.F/Sgt.Arthur Pritchard. Flight Engineer - Evaded capture

The following are the recollections of Sgt. Arthur Pritchard (later became Warrant Officer) of what happened to him from the moment he, with the rest of the Crew who flew with P/O. B.Giddings on the night of 9th/10th June 1944.

It is a story of humour, pathos and courage. It is also a story of the heroism of the French people who took him under their protection at great cost.

Recollection of his last moments in the Lancaster before Bailing Out:
‘We had dropped our flares - T/I’s and were coming in on the target the second time round. The last words Charlie Clement spoke over the intercom before it was shot at were, "Right on target, bomb doors open" and away we went. It was then, as we were leaving the target area, that we were hit by the anti-aircraft guns; they were located on both sides of the chasm. There was only superficial damage to the aircraft at this stage but communications were out.

A night fighter then appeared on the scene and hit us from below. My last recollection of the conditions in the aircraft before impact was that the inner/outer port side engine was on fire (it could have been either as there wasn't much space between the engines), the suicidal height at which we were flying, the noise, cabin full of smoke and partially lit, communications out, cramped conditions in the cockpit, no place to wear your parachute (it had to be stored on the floor), frantically searching for it; the rush of cold air from the open back door, trying to prise open the escape hatch, every second wasted making survival more improbable. The whole episode could not have lasted for more than a few minutes, and before we realised it was a doomed machine, we would have had even less time to make our getaway.

The Lancaster was not aircrew friendly. There was an element of fear of the unknown. Bob Bethel's seat and instrument panel were on fire; oxygen bottles and machine gun bullets were stored in that area and the hydraulics were located there. He was not at his post and had bailed out by the back door. Bob Webb and Charlie Clement were checking instruments for bail out.

My responsibility on Pathfinders was to release the bombs at the front. I would lie on my belly and, on orders from Bob/Charlie, would release, and on that night all the bombs had been dropped. In the event of having to ditch the aircraft, it was I who would open the escape hatch at the front, and Bob Bethel would open the back door and let Johnny Seale and John McGill know what was going on; this was part of our drill. I tapped Bob Webb and Charlie Clement on the shoulder, indicating my intentions, and did the same to Brian Giddings, and he gave me the thumbs up. As I descended the steps to bail out I noticed someone at the top of the stairs - I now believe it to have been Bob Webb, due to the location of where his body was found. I am also of the opinion that Johnny Seale had been hit by the night fighter and was probably fatally injured. When I bailed out, due to the low altitude of the Lanc, I sprained my ankle on hitting the deck.’

His Diary recorded at the Time:
‘Detailed to attack railway bridge near Etampes, small town about 50km from Paris. After bombing run we were attacked by a fighter; the aircraft was on fire so had to bale out. Don’t know what happened to the rest of the boys. They must have all got out or that the fire died out and they all got back home to base. About 0130 I hit the deck after a nightmare descent.

On the way down a Gerry fighter nearly ran into me but he must have seen me by the light of the flares for he sheared off. On making contact with the ground I sprained my right ankle and was also dragged along by the chute for a few yards before I pressed the release.

It was dark when I started to walk. All the flares had died down. I dumped my chute in a corn field but kept my Mae West on in case. After walking for a few minutes I came to a French farm house La Beauvoisiere Farm, belonging to Andre and Georgette Saunier and got as far as the front door when two dogs came out. One was a bit friendly but the other wanted a piece of my trousers so I had to retreat towards the gate keeping the dog at bay with my Mae West.

On the road again and this time came to a village I later found to be a place called Avrainville.’

[From where he landed, (the airmen, after passing the farm, took the road that runs to the memorial cross, followed it round, and came back into the centre of Avrainville to carry on along the D26 towards the RN20) he did a complete circle.]

‘Not a soul about and no answer to be had at any of the houses; so away I limped still making west. After about an hour of limping I came to the main road (the main R20 road). Plenty of traffic so I stood on the pavement waving my Mae West but some hope! All the cars went passed in a hell of a hurry. Thinking this was no good for me I laid down beneath a tree and dozed off to sleep.

Must have been asleep for a couple of hours for I woke up with a start. My foot was giving me some pain so I decided to cut my flying boots and use them as shoes, and once more I made my way on the road. This time I came to another French village (Boissy-sous-Saint-Yon). Everything and everybody was as dead as a doornail, so I fell asleep again, this time on a large heap of sand on the corner of the main street. My Mae West came in handy as a pillow.’

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Becky Barugh of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Des Evans and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Des’s stories:

• Bale out!
• Missions from Woodhall Spa
• Tracers coming through the thatch
• I didn’t quite get the chop
• Little humour in adversity
• Ted Porters Crew
• The ‘Augsburg Raid’
• S/L Sherwood’s recommendation for the Victoria Cross
• The worst night of the War…
• The worst night of the War (Part 2)
• The worst night of the War (Part 3) - Crew
• The worst night of the War (Part 4) - Losses
• The worst night of the War (Part 5) — Extract from ‘the Berlin’ Raids’
• The worst night of the War (Part 6) — Bombers over Berlin
• The worst night of the War (Part 7) — Combat Report
• A Dedication to Skipper Wing Commander Ted Porter - Pause for Thought
• A Dedication to Skipper Wing Commander Ted Porter — A Navigators View of the Route to Heaven
• Did you know?
• Flight Operations carried out with Sgt. D.C Plaunt
• Flight Operations carried out by Sgt. J.J Johnson
• The experiences of ‘Taffy’ after baling out on the 9th - 10th June 1944 - Continued
• The experiences of ‘Taffy’ - 11th June 1944
• The experiences of ‘Taffy’ - 12th — 15th June 1944
• The experiences of ‘Taffy’ - 16th - 18th June 1944
• The experiences of ‘Taffy’ - 19th — 23rd June 1944
• The experiences of ‘Taffy’ — 24th August 1044
• ‘Our Heroes’

For further stories read ‘ACHIEVE YOUR AIM’ by Kevin Bending

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