19 Dambuster crew photos and death details of 132/133

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by spidge, Nov 2, 2015.

  1. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Geoff,
    Excellent work.
    Regards
    Tom
     
  2. canuck

    canuck Closed Account

    Geoff,

    It is reassuring to know that Kellow and other members of an obviously appreciative crew have visited Les Knight's grave on multiple occasions.

    Knight is one of hundreds, if not thousands, of pilots who forfeited their young lives in order to save crew members and/or civilians. That could be a lengthy thread on it's own.
     
  3. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    canuck likes this.
  4. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

  5. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    Frederick E. Sutherland of number 9 crew died 21/01/2019.

    My apologies for not having that up to date until now.

    Cheers

    Geoff
     
    SDP and CL1 like this.
  6. dl178ra

    dl178ra New Member

    WW2 FERRYHILL DAMBUSTER


    The story of a Ferryhill hero


    Sgt R Batson

    Front gunner

    Lancaster serial number: ED825/G

    Call sign: AJ-T

    Second wave. First aircraft to attack Sorpe Dam. Mine dropped successfully but failed to breach dam. Returned to base.

    Ronald Batson was born on 5 December 1920 and lived at 23 Lanark tce. Ferryhill, Co Durham, the older son of Joseph and Elizabeth Batson. He was a grocer’s assistant before enlisting in the RAF in March 1941.

    After qualifying as an air gunner, he was posted to 106 Squadron Conversion Flight in early September 1942. He quickly teamed up with Joe McCarthy whose logbook confirms that Batson and Bill Radcliffe first flew with him on the same day, 11 September 1942, in a Manchester on a training flight. Their first operation was on 5 October. Batson was the only one of McCarthy’s crew to fly on every single operation in 97 Squadron with his skipper. By late March 1943, they had amassed 31 trips.

    On the Dams Raid, Batson was in the front turret of AJ-T. On the way back from the Sorpe, he spotted a goods train and asked McCarthy’s permission to attack it. The crew hadn’t realised, however, that this wasn’t an ordinary goods train but an armoured flak train, whose gunners responded with vigour. It was probably a shell from this which punctured a front tyre, and caused a problem a few hours later when landing at Scampton.

    Batson went on to fly with McCarthy throughout the rest of his tour, and was recommended for a DFM in February 1944. The award was approved in June, with the citation reading:

    BATSON, Ronald. 1045069 Flight Sergeant, No 617 Sqn.

    Sorties 37. Flying Hours 264.30. Air Gunner.

    “Flight Sergeant Batson has completed 37 operational sorties as Mid-upper gunner and has been operating continuously since October 1942. He has flown against many of the most heavily defended targets in Germany including Berlin, the Ruhr, Hamburg and Cologne and took part in the low-level attack on the Sorpe Dam. His enthusiasm and fighting spirit have invariably been of the highest order and he has proved his ability to face the heaviest opposition with complete calm and resolution. It is considered that the exemplary manner in which this NCO has executed his duties with the result that his captain has been able to place complete confidence in him merits the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.”

    12 February 1944

    Remarks by Station Commander – “This air gunner has been engaged in operational flying for well over a year. His enthusiasm for operations has never flagged and he has set a fine example to all other air gunners. Strongly recommended.”

    By the time the McCarthy crew came off operations in July 1944, Batson had reached the rank of Warrant Officer and had completed more than 60 sorties. He was posted to a training unit for the remainder of the war.

    Ronald Batson had one brother, Douglas, who also volunteered for the RAF. He was killed in a freak accident on 23 August 1944, when a USAAF B24 Liberator bomber crashed into a cafe in Freckleton, Lancashire. He is buried in Duncombe Cemetery, Ferryhill, Co Durham. How ironic that one brother flew on more than 60 operations over occupied territory and survived, while the other died while eating in a Lancashire snack bar.

    After the war Ronald Batson returned to Durham, and he died there on 25 November 2006.




    SURNAME

    Batson

    o FORENAME

    Ronald

    o UNIT

    617 Squadron,R.A.F.V.R.

    o RANK

    Flight Sergeant

    o NUMBER

    1045069

    o AWARD

    Distinguished Flying Medal

    o PLACE

    London Gazette 23.5.1944

    o ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

    from Ferryhill

    RAF 1941

    3 RC 29.3.1941

    9 RC November 1941

    North Weald 6.1.1942

    16 RC 21.1.1942

    ACRC 22.1.1942

    14 ITW

    4 AGS

    47 CF 7.9.1942

    106 CF 11.9.1942

    97 Squadron 22.9.1942

    617 Squadron March 1943

    Sergeant

    T/Flight Sgt 1.7.1943

    award DFM (23.5.1944) (37 ops)

    5 PDC 5.4.1945

    100 PDC 20.1.1946

    Sergeant Ronald Batson (1045069) Front Gunner:

    From the Ferryhill

    SERVICE, PROMOTIONS, AWARDS

    No. 3 RC 29 Mar 1941

    No. 9 RC Nov 1941

    North Weald 6 Jan 1942

    No. 16 RC 21 Jan 1942

    ACRC 22 Jan 1942

    No. 14 ITW

    No. 4 AGS

    No. 47 CF 7 Sep 1942

    No. 106 CF 11 Sep 1942

    97 Sqdn 22 Sep 1942

    617 Sqdn Mar 1943

    T/F/Sgt 1 July 1943

    DFM Gaz

    No. 5 PDC 5 Apl 1945

    23 May 1944 (37 ops)

    No. 100 PDC 20 Jan 1946

    https://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/.../p_joemccarthynosea...

    After the war Ronald Batson returned to Durham for a while, and worked for the Banda duplicating machine business. He later moved to Fleetwood in Lancashire. He was married twice, and moved back to Leeholme, Co Durham, with his second wife Muriel in the 1990s. He died there on 25 November 2006.

    [​IMG]
     
    Harry Ree likes this.
  7. dl178ra

    dl178ra New Member

     
  8. CharlesF

    CharlesF Member

    Hi dl178ra
    All of the info you need about missing dates of birth and deaths are in my book, The Complete Dambusters, published by History Press in 2018. It is also in the entries on each individual man on my blog: Dambusters Blog
    Look in the "Categories" on the right hand side of the page for the individual names.
    Hope this is helpful
    Charles
     

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