Hoping that someone will be able to help me here. I have just been watching Channel 5's 'Revealed: Bomber Boys' and in it they spoke about Stan Booker, who was I believe shot down after a bombing raid. He was then looked after by a resistant but then captured by the gestapo. As he got rid of his RAF identification and lived under the false name of Pierre Lecompte he was sent to a concentration camp where he was sentenced to death after Hitler had ordered that all RAF boys without ID were to be executed. He and 167 others were saved 19th October 1944 with less than 24hrs until their scheduled death by the luftwaffe as they ordered that all allied airmen be handed over to them. What I want to know is his his personal history i.e his birth details, his service number, the aircraft he was in, where he crashed , where was he being held by the resistance, the name of the resistant etc. Basically anything I can learn about him. The reason I ask is that I feel that there may be a connection with the area I live in in Normandy.
The following concerning Bookers crash....... 2-3 June 1944 10 Squadron Halifax III MZ630 ZA-S Op. Trappes Took off from Melbourn at 2233 hours to bomb railway yards. Set on fire in the mainplanes and both port engines by a night-fighter, abandoned and crashed at St-Andre-de-I Eure Crew. F/O. A A. Murray + Sgt. J N. Osselton. pow F/O. S A. Booker. pow (Captured, Paris 1 July 1944 - Held. Fresnes prison, Paris, Buchenwald) Sgt. E F. Stokes. pow W/O. J. Williams + Sgt. C L. Hallett. evaded Sgt. T. Gould. pow Source - RAF Bomber Command Losses Vol.5 - W R. Chorley.. Trappes was raided just 3 times during WW2. All three raids were carried out during 1944. 614 aircraft were dispatched with 589 attacking the target (Transportation). 20 aircraft were lost or missing.
51872 Stanley Albert Booker As I've seen no obituary for him I don't want to put his personal information here. I'd suggest asking Drew or Lee about any evasion or liberation reports at Kew. The evasion reports that I've obtained always list the local "help" Both gents do excellent work for very reasonable fees. Regards, Dave
Hello, we can confirm that Stan is very much still with us. We are in contact with the family, so if you have any questions we can pass them on to them.
Hi Jess Welcome to the forum - hopefully you will be able to fill in lots of details for 'oldleg' For general information: Name: S A Booker Rank: Flying Officer Army Number: 51872 Regiment: Royal Air Force : Officers & Other Ranks POW Number: 8045 Camp Type: Stalag Luft 3 Camp Number: L3 Camp Location: Sagan and Belaria, Poland Section: Royal Air Force : Officers & Other Ranks TD
We are hoping at some point this year to go through some of his old photos and see if he can give us details of his postings with Frederick Pearce, my late father in law.
Hello Jess53. My father was stationed in Berlin at the same time and he knew Stanley. He now lives in Malta but travels to the UK frequently and would like to get in touch with him. Please email me at peter.wccm@gmail.com Thanks, Peter
Hello I am Pat Vinycomb nee Booker - daughter of Stanley Booker. He is alive and now 95 and still shares new recollations of his service life especially keen to keep alive his memories of WW2 and Cold War. I would like to be able to contact members of the resistance Comet line who sheltered him before his unfortunate betrayal to Gestapo. Two names I have are Madame Oriel and Madame Le Fayre. Betrayed by Desoubrie.
Hello I am Sqn Ldr Stanley Bookers daughter and have just been reading the docs re my Father's debriefing. I am interested in Form Q which he should have completed re war crimes witnessed. He has always said that no one was interested in his real experiences as a prisoner of the Gestapo in Frenses Prison and in Buchenwald - he has had extensively researched this episode in his life when he was denied POW status and sought compensation for his allied comrades. Pat
I am Stan Bookers daughter and just found your post on WW2talk website. I am keen to follow up on your enquiry - we often talk about his experiences when he was sheltered by the resistance. How recently found letter from Madame Oriel who bravely gave him and John Osselton shelter before they were betrayed by Desoubrie to Gestapo. My Father is 95 and has many unanswered questions about the months leading to his imprisonment and deportation to Buchenwald concentration camp. He has written extensively about this traumatic period in his life but values the bravery and comradeship of the resistance and his fellow prisoners.
Hello Jess - I am Stan Booker's daughter - Pat. We were in Gibraltar with a Sqn Ldr Fred Pearce - Is this the link you were looking for?
