Merci beaucoup Laurent. Thank you for the clarification of the crew and also that due to the enormous explosion of the bombs, no remains were able to be found.

It is good to know, though, where the crash site is for any family members who may have been hoping for this information for many years.

It’s also good that even after all these years the brave sacrifice of the crew is still being remembered. I wish you well with your efforts to erect a Memorial.

Has anyone contacted the CWGC to advise them that the crew crash site is known? they often have Memorial tablets erected for personnel where their bodies have not been recovered after initial burial but “known to be at this site”. They may be able to offer some Memorial plaque to commemorate the crew.

The newspaper article refers to Flt/Sgt Flitton as being from Luton
Name: FLITTON, DEREK NOEL
Initials: D N
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Flight Sergeant
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 408 (R.C.A.F.) Sqdn.
Age: 22
Date of Death: 08/06/1944
Service No: 1467806
Additional information: Son of Harry Joseph and Violet Isobel Flitton; husband of May Flitton, of St. Bride”s, Monmouthshire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 217.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

Name: GRIGGS, RAYMOND WILLIAM
Initials: R W
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Pilot Officer
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 408 (R.C.A.F.) Sqdn.
Date of Death: 08/06/1944
Service No: 177073
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 211.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

Name: HUGILL, HERBERT
Initials: H
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Pilot Officer
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 408 (R.C.A.F.) Sqdn.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 08/06/1944
Service No: 175288
Additional information: Son of Albert and Nellie Hugill, of Middleton St. George, Co. Durham.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 211.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

Name: LOWREY, RALPH WILLIAM
Initials: R W
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Pilot Officer
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force
Unit Text: 408 (R.C.A.F.) Sqdn.
Date of Death: 08/06/1944
Service No: 54943
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 211.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

Name: INVERARITY, JOHN ALEXANDER
Initials: J A
Nationality: Canadian
Rank: Pilot Officer
Regiment/Service: Royal Canadian Air Force
Unit Text: 408 Sqdn.
Age: 26
Date of Death: 08/06/1944
Service No: J/86381
Additional information: Son of James and Christina Inverarity; husband of Ethel I. Inverarity, of Lucky Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 250.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

Name: ROLPH, ROBERT HAROLD
Initials: R H
Nationality: Canadian
Rank: Flying Officer
Regiment/Service: Royal Canadian Air Force
Unit Text: 408 Sqdn.
Age: 22
Date of Death: 08/06/1944
Service No: J/19174
Additional information: Son of Harold J. and Dorothy L. Rolph, of Cobourg, Ontario, Canada.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 248.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

Name: SKINGLE, DOUGLAS DAVID
Initials: D D
Nationality: Canadian
Rank: Pilot Officer
Regiment/Service: Royal Canadian Air Force
Unit Text: 408 Sqdn.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 08/06/1944
Service No: J/90562
Additional information: Son of Basil Francis and Nellie Skingle, of Humber Bay, Ontario, Canada.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 253.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

Name: WEIS, JOSEPH WILLIAM
Initials: J W
Nationality: Canadian
Rank: Flight Lieutenant
Regiment/Service: Royal Canadian Air Force
Unit Text: 408 Sqdn.
Age: 26
Date of Death: 08/06/1944
Service No: C/1651
Additional information: Son of Herman William and Adela Grace Weis, of King, Ontario, Canada.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 244.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

Now, all are shown as Runnymede Memorial, so when was identification of the crash site made and a positive ID for the crew? If it crashed on land, then surely some remains would have been recovered, so are they in a French churchyard currently as “unknowns”?

CWGC records have 8 408 crew as missing that night, yet the only Lanc 408 lost was LL643 and Skingle isn’t shown as part of that crew……….

Is there more to this story yet to be revealed here?

It is obvious that the crew location has been known since the late 1940’s, see here:-
http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.com/raf1944/LL643lancaster.html but that the initial impact and subsequent explosion of the bomb load prevented the recovery of any crew. It also confirms Skingle as being part of the crew.

FFS, let’s not end this thread on the “compensayshun” malarky.

There’s no evidence that he MEANT to hit them! They are just as much to “blame” if you want to look at it that way, they should have ducked!

The guy retired at his own request shortly after, what more do you want?

Again, old footage. Show the date, please!

In Flight Archive listed as Missing Dec 44: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1944/1944%20-%202596.html
From L’Oise 1939-45 website http://oise-1939-1945.jed.st/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=346&sid=b9bb0cfdf0f0699be0f8b93152753ee3

7/8 July 1944
208 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos, mainly from No 5 Group but with some Pathfinder aircraft, attacked a flying-bomb storage dump in a group of tunnels (formerly used for growing mushrooms) at St Leu d’Esserent. The bombing was accurately directed on to the mouths of the tunnels and on to the approach roads, thus blocking access to the flying bombs stored there.

German night fighters intercepted the bombing force and 29 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos were lost, 14.0 per cent of the force. No 106 Squadron, from Metheringham, lost 5 of its 16 Lancasters on the raid and No 630 Squadron, from East Kirkby, lost its commanding officer, Wing Commander WI Deas, who was flying his 69th operation. Wing Commander Deas was killed and is buried in a small cemetery at Omerville, north-west of Versailles.

The following aircraft from each squadron is detailed below:
9 Squadron sent JA690 WS-M, JA957 WS-D, JB116 WS-T,
44 Squadron sent ME634 KM-P, ME859 KM-S, LM631 KM-W
49 Squadron sent LL976 EA-A, LM541 EA-N,
50 Squadron sent DV363 VN-K, DV227 VN-L, PA996 VN-J
57 Squadron sent ME868 DX-K, JB370 DX-O, LM522 DX-G,
61 Squadron sent R5856 QR-U, ND867 QR-V
83 Squadron sent ND966 OL-C,
106 Squadron sent JB663, ME789, LL953, PB191, ME668, ME778, LM215, PB144, ME831, JB593, LL948, JB641, PB122, PB248, PB284, LM211
207 Squadron sent LL902, ND866, ND555, ME814, ME805, LL968, ND872, LM208, LM218, LM535, LM123, ME807, ME681, ND567, ME667, LM129
467 Squadron sent LM219 PO-G, LM338 PO-U,
619 Squadron sent ME745 PG-L
630 Squadron sent ME688 LE-R,

All I was doing was trying to help someone gather the information they require.

Same here, using what resources are available.

Obviously the “Known unto God” burials are some of the “Missing” that were unable to be identified. The bulk of these will be aircrew, but don’t forget that many troopships etc were also sunk during evacuations, such as Dunkirk, Lancastria, Crete, Italy and in the Pacific.

Every possible effort was made to find burials after the War, but witnesses not always available or were still around.

Confirmation that crew now lie in Jonkerbos
Name: WILSON, ERIC BENJAMIN
Initials: E B
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Pilot Officer (Pilot)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 78 Sqdn.
Date of Death: 25/05/1944
Service No: 160162
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Coll. grave 24. J. 2-4.
Cemetery: JONKERBOS WAR CEMETERY

How appropriate if the engine could return by 25th May….

Belated “Thanks” to all those involved in setting up the recovery effort.