WHITBY, LAWRENCE Rank: Civilian Date of Death: 11/06/1943 Age: 4 Regiment/Service: Civilian War Dead Reporting Authority: LINCOLN, COUNTY BOROUGH Additional Information: of 24 Highfield Avenue. Son of Annie Gwendolen Whitby. Died at 24 Highfield Avenue.http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/3122152/WHITBY,%20LAWRENCE
Lancaster ED833 from 1654 Heavy Conversion Unit crashed into Highfield Avenue killing three other civillians and 6 of the 7 man crew. Annie Gwendoline Whitby Lena May Thacker Margaret Elaine Marriott Lancaster Crew : Sgt W. Featherstone KIA Sgt E. Kirk KIA, Sgt E.R. Broad KIA Sgt A.M. Milne KIA Sgt P.R. Farnell KIA Sgt R.W.E Peacock KIA The rear turret seperated from the air frame and was found upside down in the back garden of 18 Royden Grove. The rear gunner, Sgt CH Malkin was still inside and although injured was the only survivor. Reported in : Nottingham Evening Post 14th June 1943 Lincolnshire Echo 29th June 1943 http://www.bcar.org.uk/1943-incident-logs
Dont forget Anthony James Thacker, his mother was killed this day and he was injured but died on 29th June at the County Hospital Name: Anthony James Thacker Estimated birth year: abt 1940 Death Date: 29 Jun 1943 Death Place: Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England Age at Death: 3 Father: James Robert Thacker Mother: Lena May Thacker TD
More details re this tragic loss...... 11 June 1943 1654 HCU Lancaster III ED833 UG-S Op. Training Crew Sgt W Featherstone + Sgt E Kirk + Sgt E R Broad + Sgt A M Milne + Sgt P R Farnell + Sgt R W E Peacock + Sgt C H Malkin injured Civilians Mrs L M Thacker + Mstr A Thacker + Mr Whitby injured Mstr L Whitby injured Miss M Marriott + Mstr H Bishop injured Miss E Bishop injured Took of fromWigsley to practice three-engined flying. While turning at low altitude, with the starboard inner feathered, a wing clipped a telegraph pole and the bomber crashed at 1722 onto houses on both sides of Highfield Avenue, West Swanpool, destroying or badly damaging Nos. 22, 24, 25 and 27. As the Lancaster impacted, the rear turret broke off and landed, inverted, on a footpath to the rear of 18 Roydon Grove, the injured occupant being pulled clear by a Mrs Hartley, aided by her son Dennis and his friend, Bernard Lake. Subsequently, Mr Harry Chester and Mr Edward Wing received gallantry awards for their part in trying to rescue those trapped in the burning buildings. Sadly, though still alive when brought out from the remains of what once had been 24 Highfield Avenue, Mr Whitby and his four year old son, Lawrence, died. Anthony Thacker was aged three and Margaret Marriott, whose home was at No. 25 Highfield Avenue, was twelve. Funeral services for the six aircrew were held over the next few days, three being buried in the County of Nottinghamshire; Sgt Farnell of Birmingham was laid to rest in Newarkupon-Trent Cemetery, while Sgt Featherstone and Sgt Kirk lie in Sutton-inAshfield Cemetery and Mansfield (Nottingham Road) Cemetery respectively. Sgt Broad was taken to Baldock Cemetery; Sgt Milne to Dundee (Balgay) Cemetery and Sgt Peacock to Bedford Cemetery. I am indebted to Mr Fred Hurt for the details pertaining to the civilians caught up in this awful tragedy of war. Source - RAF Bomber Command Losses Vol.8 - W R. Chorley