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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Rob Illingworth & Alison Palmer of the Kent Libraries & Archives Team on behalf of Kenneth Childs and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions

It was in Tunbridge Wells that I enjoyed one of my best leaves, Roy Snell my best pal was at home. I hadn’t seen him for some time and I’m sorry to say it turned out to be the last. Of course, he was in gay spirits and we indulged in a little celebration when we met Jean and Lydia, though this didn’t last long, but we corresponded for some time. Then came the tragic news that Roy was missing from a raid on Berlin on the night of the twenty-third/twenty-fourth August, 1943. Later we learned that he was buried at Stoyle, near Kiel. You can be sure this upset me a great deal as Roy was a grand lad and one of my best pals. He was not a school friend but he lived just round the corner from me in Tunbridge Wells and he was the same age as me, I’m eighty-five years old. Before the war he had been a telegraph boy in the Post Office and they wouldn’t let him go for sometime, so it was a while before he could get in to the Air Force. Roy joined the Royal Air Force and he was a Bomb Aimer on Lancasters Squadron Number 619. Roy’s service number was 1388725 and his aircraft number was ED981PG/V. The following is a technical report of the crash:

OP Berlin to 2007 Woodhall SPA crashed 300 metres off the beach at Surendorf 19 Kilometres Nor-nor-west of Kiel. Those that died are buried in Kiel War Cemetery.

[Roy took off from Woodhall Spa at 2007 hrs. He was shot down on his return flight. A total of 68 bombers were lost on the 23rd & 24th of August 1943.]

The next day my dear old dad gave me the news. The following is a letter received by Kenneth at RAF Ramsbury late on Tuesday night:

Dear Ken: Just a few words in haste to tell you some bad news, Roy is missing from last night’s Berlin raid. His sister is home on leave, she has just been up to let us know, they were notified by telegram this afternoon but it was too late for post when she came up. Of course they are very upset. She says her mum is awful. We feel it too because we all liked Roy and I’m sure you’ll be upset. Of course it’s possible for him to have been picked up if he came down in the sea. I do hope he’s safe somewhere for his mum’s sake. I’m sorry to send you this news lad …

Well, cheer-up lad, try and keep smiling.

The following is a letter which came on 5th February, 1944 from Roy’s mum who lived at 9 Buckingham Road, Tunbridge Wells:

Dear Ken: Thank you very much for the nice letter you’ve sent me. It was nice of you to write and we do appreciate it. I know Roy would think it was kind of you. I need to tell you that it is a very great blow to us all, we had so hoped he would come back again but it was not to be. I know it is silly of me but I keep hoping they have made a mistake, such things have happened. Roy’s things have not come back yet Ken but when they do and things get a bit more normal I will see if there is something of Roy’s that you would like to have but I shall not give up hope until the war is over — then if he does not come back my husband and I are going to Kiel. I hope you will come up and see us sometimes but not just yet, I just could not stand it.

Now I must say goodnight, I’ve got to write to you.

From yours sincerely M D Snell

This is what she sent. It is an artefact it is marked H R Snell and it is a rather lovely metal cigarette case. Underneath a loop there’s a photograph of Roy, a handsome chap with a side parting and a cap to one side of his head, in RAF uniform. The photograph was taken whilst he was in training in America. Another item in the case is a little newspaper cutting from a local paper:

Failed to return
News has been received by Mr and Mrs Snell of Buckingham Road that their youngest son Sergeant Roy Snell RAF has lost his life in air operations. Sergeant Snell who was twenty-three years of age was reported missing last August.

There’s also a wonderful group photograph of four people, Roy is on the left in uniform. It was taken in Florida, probably 1942

It was 1943 when he was killed so he was a training officer, in training in Florida before active service.

In the photograph one of his colleagues is on the right and two rather smashing looking girls are in the middle of them.

There’s also all my goings on in India, Ceylon and that you know, places I went to: Bombay, Puna, Karachi, Columbo and Hyderabad but it is the friendship side of my story which I think is nice.

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