大象传媒

I am a native of Cornwall, and when on relocating to the North East in 2000 I heard the name Pascoe, it was like a sound of 'home' to me.

I began to work as a volunteer with a lady with this as a surname. When I asked if it did indeed have Cornish roots, she told me that her Father-in-law, now long settled in this area, was born and lived in the Mount Hawke/St. Agnes area of the county. This was not far from my family base of Camborne/Redruth.

Of the Father-in-law's family, one lone surviving sister lived at St. Agnes still, tending with pride the family gravestones in the local graveyard. She had one sadness however, there had been one young brother, George Edgar, (known as Nicky), an air-gunner in a Lancaster Bomber, who had died on active service over Northern France during WW2, and this was one grave that had not been visited.

My newest hobby at the time was pursuit of my Family History. I had learned of the great usefulness of the Internet, and I offered to see if I could find anything which might be of help for the family.

I had the young airman's name;
George Edgar Pascoe
I had his date of death;
15/04/1943

My first attempt to contact the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was disappointing. The site was incredibly busy. However after some persistence I was able to locate the Debt of Honour site, and found a Commemoration Page which I was able to print out for the family. This located the place of commemoration/burial as Bohain Communal Cemetery, France.

This information generated information from Cornwall. I soon had a photocopy of a letter, written by a French Doctor's wife to the wife of one of the crew who was not named. This I transcribed onto computer, and printed out also. It mentioned a memorial on the actual site of the crash. There were also two old photos, one of the communal grave, marked with a simple wooden cross, and one of the hillside memorial.

I recontacted the War Graves Commission and on emailing the French Division, was able to get precise information as to where the grave was within Bohain Cemetery. The hillside memorial was still there in 1975, but difficult to reach. I'm still hoping to get more information from the local Mairie about it.

Goerge Edgar Pascoe's nephew and wife travelled to France, and visited the grave in 2003, and the family now have up to date photographs of it, with all the details.

The Crew were:-

Reginald James Shufflebotham
Flight Lieutenant (Pilot)
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
100 Squadron
Age 30

Albert Frank Towers
Flying officer (Navigator)
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
100 Squadron
Age 28

Geoffrey Prescott Tyrer
Sergeant ( Flight Engineer)
Royal Air Force
100 Squadron
Age 24

John Henry Nunn
Sergeant ( Wireless operator/Air Gunner)
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
100 Squadron
No known age

Peter Henry Russell Hunt
Sergeant (Air Gunner)
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
100 Squadron
Age 21

George Edgar Pascoe
Sergeant (Air Gunner)
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
100 Squadron
Age 20

Sidney Herbert West
Flying Officer (Bomb Aimer)
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
100 Squadron
Age 28

It would appear that 'Nicky' was possibly the youngest crew member, hardly more than a teenager when he flew out on his last mission.

I further researched 100 squadron, and found that it was re-formed in Dec 1942, after a disastrous battle against the Japanese. It reformed in Waltham near Grimsby, as a night bomber unit, and by March 1943 was flying Avro Lancaster Heavy Bombers against Germany. On 27/28 March 1943 it paid its first visit to Berlin, and all that year bombed a variety of targets including the V Weapon base at Peenemunde. During WW2 100 Squadron dropped 17,500 tons of bombs as well as mines.

Operations from Waltham cost 164 Bombers, missing in action or crashing in the United Kingdom, 48 Wellingtons and 116 Lancasters, one of which was 'Nicky's.

The Lancaster Website gave even more insights into the conditions that may have prevailed on this flight. Lancasters were purpose-built for bombing, and the crew's comfort and security were secondary. The bracing required to carry heavy bomb loads obstructed movement within the aircraft, particularly if you were wearing heavy clothing and flight boots. Conditions were cramped, especially for Air Gunners who often stayed in place for the whole of the mission. Some times they had to put their flight boots into the turret ahead of them and climb into them , putting them on. Night flying at 20,000 feet was cold. The temperature in the turrets would often fall to minus 40degrees, and frostbite was common.

I have not yet been able to trace the actual flight number, or mission for this crew, but I haven't given up yet!

All this from one Cornish name!

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