Proposed Memorial to Lancaster Crew PB 812

I have again been asked for advice regarding another proposed memorial for bomber crew. This is in a way a compliment to the successful memorial project we carried out to completion in April 2013 here in Colchester North Essex to a Lancaster crew.

The lady who is carrying out the research lives in Australia and her uncle was one of six Australians in the crew of PB 812. The aircraft crashed near Caythorpe on 10th February 1945 and all the crew were lost. Linda has already collated much information and is seeking guidance of how to establish a memorial.

The actual crash site is adjacent to the old Caythorpe railway station. A couple of hundred yards off the road in a field and immediately adjacent to a recycling plant. The wreckage was excavated in the 1970's by members of 'LARG' Lincolnshire Aviation Recovery Group who Linda has been in contact with.

So if there are any members on here local to Caythorpe who would like to get involved with this project would they please let me know on here. The 'nuts and bolts' of such a project for example involves making contact with landowners, local stone masons, to name but a few. Operating from Australia she is going to have her work cut out to coin a phrase. She has been to the U.K. in 2013 on an arranged tour and plans to return later in the Summer this year.

 

The aircraft and crew involved in the above incident



10 February 1945

460 Squadron
Lancaster I PB812
Op. Training

Crew.

F/S. R A G. Miller RAAF +
F/S. F A C. Nesbit-Bell +
F/S. R L. Pope RAAF +
F/O. J J. Downing RAAF +
F/S. G M. Dockery RAAF +
F/S. A G. Robinson RAAF +

 

To add a small piece more to Peter's excellent info:-
PB812, took off from RAF Binbrook on training flight, on return journey it crashed near the railway station at Caythorpe. All 6 crew were killed

Summary: Lancaster PB812 took off from RAF Binbrook at 11:24 am on 10 February 1945 on a cross country training flight. The aircraft was flying the last leg of the exercise from Luton to Scunthorpe when it crashed at 3.45 pm close by Caythorpe railway station near Fulbech, Lincoln, UK. Witnesses in another aircraft saw the aircraft diving almost vertically and on fire. The crash was of a severe nature and all the crew aboard were killed. The bomb aimer was not in the aircraft, being a patient in hospital at the time.

MILLER, RICHARD ALBERT GEORGE. Rank: Pilot Officer. Trade: Pilot. Service No: 429723. Date of Death: 10/02/1945. Age: 27.
Regiment/Service: Royal Australian Air Force. 460 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
Grave Reference: Coll. Grave 15755-15757. Cemetery: CAMBRIDGE CITY CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Richard and Henrietta Miller, of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia; husband of Roma Tasma Miller, of Perth, Western Australia.

DOWNING, JEFFREY JOHN. Rank: Flying Officer. Trade: Navigator. Service No: 418648. Date of Death: 10/02/1945. Age: 22.
Regiment/Service: Royal Australian Air Force. 460 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
Grave Reference: Coll. Grave 15755-15757. Cemetery: CAMBRIDGE CITY CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Dr. Joseph Horace Downing and Elsie May Downing, of Blackburn, Victoria, Australia.

POPE, RHODRIC LESLIE. Rank: Flight Sergeant. Trade: W.Op/Air Gnr. Service No: 437951. Date of Death: 10/02/1945. Age: 19.
Regiment/Service: Royal Australian Air Force. 460 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
Grave Reference: Coll. Grave 15755-15757. Cemetery: CAMBRIDGE CITY CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of John Leslie and Amy Pope, of Quorn, South Australia.

NESBIT-BELL, FREDERICK ALBERT CECIL. Rank: Flight Sergeant. Trade: Flt. Engr. Service No: 1587443. Date of Death: 10/02/1945. Age: 27.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 460 (R.A.A.F.) Sqdn.
Grave Reference: Coll. Grave 15755-15757. Cemetery: CAMBRIDGE CITY CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Joseph and Lily Nesbit-Bell; husband of Muriel Joyce Nesbit-Bell, of Horfield, Bristol.

ROBINSON, ANTHONY GATWARD. Rank: Flight Sergeant. Trade: Air Gunner. Service No: 435913. Date of Death: 10/02/1945. Age: 19.
Regiment/Service: Royal Australian Air Force. 460 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
Grave Reference: Coll. Grave 15755-15757. Cemetery: CAMBRIDGE CITY CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Leonard Charteris Robinson and Frances Nina Robinson, of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

DOCKERY, GRAEME MARK. Rank: Flight Sergeant. Trade: Air Gunner. Service No: 430736. Date of Death: 10/02/1945. Age: 21.
Regiment/Service: Royal Australian Air Force. 460 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
Grave Reference: Coll. Grave 15755-15757. Cemetery: CAMBRIDGE CITY CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Seymour and Veronica Nora Dockery, of Mirboo North, Victoria, Australia.

That explains only 6 crew aboard at the time.

Has Linda been able to obtain their RAAF records? It might mention who their regular bomb aimer was.
Or the 460 Squadron ORB might show when this crew joined.
The 6 RAAF lads would probably have been together until HCU when joined by the RAF trained Flight Engineer, as was normal practice.

I'm shortly be visiting Cambridge City Cemetery (this month) for a RAAF relative, so I'll stop by to pay my respects.
Does Linda have photographs of their headstones?

Has she already made contact with any other relatives of the crew, I see 3 were from Victoria, (Melbourne and its Blackburn suburb). There may well be media interest in Australia if publicised.

As regards a Memorial, perhaps the local council for Caythorpe would wish to be involved, as perhaps might be any 460 Squadron Association and local Air Cadet unit(s). Perhaps planting 6 saplings might be appropriate with any memorial?

Good luck!

 

Peter & Kevin thanks for your excellent replies.

Linda's uncle was the Wireless Operator Rhodric Pope.

Last year she visited the U.K. on a 'Bomber Command Military History Tour' in her quest to find out more about her uncle. She went to the crash site and also met Dave Stubley of the Lincolnshire Aviation Recovery Group who excavated the site in the 1970's. Part of the wreckage apparently now resides at the East Kirby museum (Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre).

In her own words:

"Since returning to Australia, I have made it my business to find and contact family members of all the deceased crew, as well as the family members of the bomb aimer who was not in the plane at the time and who survived the war but has since died."
"I have done this work for the purpose of better understanding the story of those who perished and in the hope that a fitting memorial might be built to commemorate their sacrifice."

Your suggestion of contacting the local Council is a good one. But I think what is needed in her case is to have a contact in that area who was interested in helping. Any memorial project is hard graft - (well, our one was)! And I think being based in Australia is going to make any such project even harder.

 

Thanks for fast response.
Isn't it the way that important messages only come while you are away?
Had the same whilst on holiday in Spain!

Can you find out if Linda has headstone photos?
I'll probably go in about a weeks time, so I'll take them to be on the safe side.

 

Hope it all works out.

 

Spidge should have the Aussies.
I dropped him a line

 

Hi Clive,

I have all the Aussies but not Nesbit-Bell!

Cheers

Geoff

 

Deleted Double Post.

 

Hi Stan50/Linda,

These are the five RAAF lads.

Cambridge City Cemetery is the last resting place for 255 RAAF/RAF Australians.




I have higher res shots of these if you send me an email address.

Cheers

Geoff

 

Geoff, thanks for posting but I can't actually see the images just letters and numbers.

Kevin, I'll get back to you with an answer, thanks.

Chris.

 

Kevin, Linda has the crews headstone photos she informs me, and she asks me to thank you.

Best.

 

Thanks, Chris (and Linda) Had to ask, shame to waste an opportunity and then find they were needed!

 

Hi Stan,

I double posted so cancelling one must have cut the attachments out.

They are there now however you already have them.

Cheers

Geoff

 

I've put Linda in touch with Di Ablewhite the lady who completed this successful memorial project:





and she may have found someone in the Caythorpe area who can help.

 

A bit of an update. Linda has been over here recently and met with the lady I mentioned in the above post plus a local Caythorpe councillor. Things are progressing.

We also met with Linda and her husband at her request recently on her return from Lincolnshire. We hopefully have provided her with some further ideas and answered some questions. She also wanted to visit our Colchester Lancaster Crew memorial.

 

http://www.marketrasenmail.co.uk/news/features/nostalgia/seeking-a-lasting-memorial-to-a-lost-raaf-uncle-1-6660142


http://www.marketrasenmail.co.uk/webimage/1.6660141.1427485606!/image/288456299.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/288456299.jpg


'Seeking a lasting memorial to a lost RAAF uncle'

Linda Pope may not have been born when her uncle died flying with 460 Squadron but she is determined he and his crew will not be forgotten.

She travelled the 9,000 miles from her home in Australia to see his wartime base at RAF Binbrook and piece together what happened on that fateful day 70 years ago.

“There has always been a little bit of sadness in the family because of this sudden death,” said Linda, “especially as they were never told very much about how it happened.”

Rhodric Leslie Pope joined the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) in 1943, when he was 18 years old and graduated later that year as a wireless operator and air gunner.

He was posted to Binbrook in January 1945 with RAAF 460 Squadron - 10 days later he was killed, just nine days short of his 20th birthday.

Flt Sgt Pope was part of the six-man crew of Lancaster PB812 which crashed at Caythorpe while on a training flight - all were killed.

Linda’s search for what happened started a few years ago when she visited Lincolnshire as part of an RAAF tour.

“We were amazed to discover part of the plane had been excavated in the 1970s and is at East Kirkby, but they had no information who was on the plane,” said Linda.

Since then Linda has been researching the other crew members and has managed to make contact with at least one of their family members.

“It is very much to do with my uncle Leslie but also about the rest of the crew - they were such great buddies,” added Linda, whose trip to Binbrook this month included a visit to the parish church where a memorial book includes the name of her uncle.

“I am very excited by all I have found out and so excited by everyone’s interest in wanting to help - its just wonderful.

“Now I am working to get a memorial near the crash site to remember them all.

“Sadly my dad, Leslie’s younger brother, died last year, but he died happy in the knowledge things were progressing.”

 

Linda Pope has arranged for a memorial to be unveiled on 10th September 2016 in Caythorpe.

 

Niece travels 10,500 miles to pay tribute to doomed Lancaster... | Myinforms


I was sent the above link from Linda last month.


The details for the commemoration are now confirmed as follows:


On Saturday 10th September there will be a service at St. Vincent's church Caythorpe commemorating the sacrifice of the crew. Attendance for 10.am for 10.15 commencement. This will be followed by the dedication of a plaque on the church wall adjacent to the war memorial and unveiling of a memorial stone on Love Lane Caythorpe close to the crash site.

I hope this is of interest to members in that area.

 

Great news to see it all has come together.

Will you attend Stan? Would be nice to see some photo's.

Cheers

Geoff