Sgt Clarence Wesley Albert Sparling. Rear Gnr. RCAF Lancaster I ED357 PH-S, POW - Stalag Luft IV Sagan 12sqd Shot down on Saturday, 12th June 1943. Only he and the mid upper gunner survived from a Lancaster crew of seven. Airborne from Wickenby 2240hrs 11Jun43. Shot down by a night- fighter, crashing 2301hrs (suspect time) into the IJsselmeer in an area now known as the Oosteljik-Flevoland polder, near Dronten. Of those who died, four are buried in the New Eastern Cemetery at Amsterdam, but Sgt Bowes, who was killed during the combat, has no known grave. A propellor from this bomber now stands in front of the Town Hall at Dronten where an Air Gunners Parade is held each year. Sgt D.McN Thomson RAAF KIA Sgt J.L.Osborne KIA Sgt K.Bowes KIA Sgt W.M.Ward KIA Sgt D.N.Campbell KIA Sgt W.T.Pingle RCAF PoW Sgt C.W.A.Sparling RCAF PoW Sgt W.T.Pingle was interned in Camps L6/357, PoW No.227. Promoted to WO2 during captivity. Sgt C.W.A.Sparling in Camps L6/L4, Pow No.254. http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTD63bQtKdMvCvxLCyoafdEU5rWWQtu5vb0T438z10a3wFEEL4jGw ED357 Crash site. Oost-Flevorland. Lat.52.33N Long.05.405 Narrative by Sgt W.T. Pingle Mid-Upper Gunner of 12/S. This was a night full of incredible luck for myself and the Rear Gunner, another Canadian, Sgt Clarence Sparling. My first piece of luck was one of the ground crew telling me that my parachute harness was loose, and giving me a hand to tighten it up. I would have had quite a shock when I jumped. We took off from Wickenby, had no problems en route to the target, and delivered our load. Leaving the target, a Starboard engine caught fire. This was successfully extinguished and we proceeded on our way home. After some time the pilot Danny Thomson found that he could not maintain height and decided to return at a lower level. As we reduced height all hell let loose. A night fighter raked us from in front of my turret to the front of the aircraft. The front of the aircraft was in flames and someone said, "Get the hell out". I climbed down from my turret and opened the rear door. I then went to check on Sparling in the rear turret and found that he was jammed in. I got the doors open, and as I pulled and he pushed, he came free and out of the turret. We stood putting our chutes on when someone came running from the front of the aircraft, past us and out of the open door. We talked it over later and don't remember seeing a chute on him. We then went to the door and jumped. The side of the aircraft was on fire, and I could see the burning aircraft going away from me after my chute had opened. I floated down to what I thought was a sandy beach. What a shock when the sand turned out to be water, and not having released my harness the shroud lines wrapped around my legs. I inflated my Mae West and tried to reach my knife to cut the lines. It was out of reach. I don't know how long I was in the water. I was concentrating all my energy on staying afloat and keeping my head above water. Just when I was having a hard time keeping afloat I heard someone calling. As the voices got closer I could see a tug with barges on the back of it. They threw me a line and hauled me on board. They must have seen the aircraft coming down. They were Dutch, and they took me down to the cabin and gave me a couple of good shots of schnapps to warm me up. There were two women, two children, an old man, and a younger man who seemed to be in charge. None of them could speak English and I could not speak Dutch. I can't understand to this day how I made them understand that there might be more of us in the water. When daylight came they unhooked the barges and took the tug to make a sweep of the area. After quite a long time they were ready to give up and return to the barges. We saw gulls diving on something in the water and as we got closer saw Sparling in the water. As we pulled him out of the water his first words were "God am I glad to see you, I was just about ready to give up". For some time he had had to blow the Mae West up by mouth. They then went back, hooked the tug to the barges and took us to Amsterdam harbour and handed us over to the Germans. For the next two years I was in East Prussia, Poland and Germany The propeller from ED357 was recovered from a farmers field when they were draining the Zuider Zee. It was erected by the town of Dronten Holland as a monument to all Allied Air Crew. A service is held there every year on May 5th, the anniversary date of the end of the war in Holland. The Air Gunners Association have three bus loads every year to attend the ceremony, and I always send flowers to be placed on the monument at the service. I have returned to Dronten twice. Once in 1980 and for a month last year. Danny Thomson, Campbell Ward, and Osborne are buried at the Nuo Cemetary in Amsterdam. Ken Bowes was never found. Clarence Sparling died of cancer in 1974 at North Bay Ontario. The crew have all had streets named after them in Dronten. LANCASTERDREEF, THOMSONSTRAAT, BOWESHOF, WARDHOF, OSBORNEHOF, CAMPBELLHOF, SPARLINGHOF, PINGLESTRAAT. Bill Pingle. March 1991
These are the crash details as well. Sadly I don't have the photo of Sgt Osborne. RAAF FATALITIES IN SECOND WORLD WAR AMONG RAAF PERSONNEL SERVING ON ATTACHMENT IN ROYAL AIR FORCE SQUADRONS AND SUPPORT UNITS 409256 Flight Sergeant THOMSON, Daniel McNicol Source: AWM 237 (65) NAA : A705, 166/39/87 Commonwealth War Graves records W R Chorley : RAF Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, Page 174 Volume 1943. : Aircraft Type: Lancaster Serial number: ED 357 Radio call sign: PH – S Unit: ATTD 12 SQN RAF Summary: Lancaster ED357 took off from RAF Wickenby at 2240 hours on the night of 11/12th June 1943 to bomb Dusseldorf, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. Crew: RAAF 409256 Flt Sgt D McN Thomson, Captain (Pilot) RAF Sgt J L Osborne, (Flight Engineer) RAF Sgt K Bowes, (Navigator) RAF Sgt W M Ward, (Bomb Aimer) RAF Sgt D N Campbell; (Wireless Air Gunner) RCAF Sgt W T Pingle, (Mid Upper Gunner) RCAF Sgt C W A Sparling (Rear Gunner) It was later established that the aircraft crashed into the Ijsselmeer in an area known as the Oosteelijk-Flevoland polder, near Dronten, Netherlands. Five of the crew were killed and Sgt Pingle and Sparling were POW’s. Sgt Sparling later stated “ The aircraft was shot down over the Zuyder Zee and the crew baled out into the water. I heard the crew calling for help during the night and when I was picked up the next morning there was no trace of the others. As far as I can ascertain Thompson must have been drowned. A 3 hours search found no trace.” Flt Sgt Thomson and Sgt’s Osborne, Ward and Campbell are buried in the Amsterdam Bew Eastern cemetery, Locality Noordr-Holland, Netherlands. The cemetery is in the south-eastern district of Amsterdam in Kruislaan, a road in the Wsatergraafsmeer area of the city. Sgt Bowes has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Memorial to the Missing, Runnymede, Surrey, UK A propeller from the aircraft now stands in front of the town hall at Dronten, where an Air Gunners parade is held each year.
