142 Sqn from Oudna, Tunisia

142 Sqn from Oudna, Tunisia

Marco

I spotted your request for information about 142 Sqn on Google.

My uncle, Stephen Fraser Smith, was killed when his Wellington crashed on the night of the 24th November 1943. When my mother died I received some of the letters etc which resulted in me researching his RAF service and the crash.

Wellington III, callsign “F”, registration HF694 took off from Oudna at 1647hrs loaded with six 500lb bombs and two 250lb bombs and was to attack the Fiat ball bearing works at Turin. The crew was: Sgt Douglas Henry Betts (Pilot), Flt Sgt Horace Peter Hurnell (Nav), Sgt Stephen Fraser Smith (Air Bomber), Sgt Cyril Thomas Bowman (W.Op/Gnr), and Sgt Stafford Alfonso Barton (Rear gunner).

The aircraft crashed into a hill near the village of Polverara (itself near Las Spezia) during a reportedly violent thunder storm. I have letters from the local teacher where he describes the crash scene and the fact that the bodies were protected by the villagers. Eventually the bodies were exhumed and re-buried in the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery at Genoa.

According to the War Graves documents, the cemetery at Genoa has the bodies of 28 airmen who died on the 24th: 9 from 142 Sqn, 9 from 40 Sqn, 7 from 104 Sqn and 3 RAAF. The cemetery at Milan has the bodies of more airmen who died on that night including those from 37 and 142 Sqns.

I thoroughly recommend a trip to the Public Records Office at Kew where I found a wealth of information. If you wish, I can share all the information I have about my uncle.

Best wishes