Moggy.
I believe Mike’s Father was Flight Sergeant Louis Arthur Harding, a navigator on 9 Squadron who failed to return from an operation to Munster on the night of 23/24 september 1944. The aircraft was a Lancaster I, LL901 coded WS-V. Of the crew only one survived to become PoW. Chorley states they were to attack the airfield at Munster Handorf. However, Gordon Thorburn in Bombers First and last states that a flight from 9 Squadron were attacking aqueducts near Munster on the Dortmund Ems Canal using Tallboys. He writes “Bloody rough it was, for Rees on his second, attacked by a fighter, hit by flak, home on three, and even rougher for F/Lt. Charles Scott and his crew, with Tallboy in LL901 WS/V. They had recovered from their Russian exertions and were restored to normal squadron routine after the adventure of a lifetime.They failed to return from Munster. They did not bring their Tallboy home. Their lifetime was finished as they crashed in Gelderland. They were a week or two short.They had only managed three and a half months. Scott had 28 Ops, F/Sgt Harding and the rest of the crew 27, and V-Victor wanted one for her half century.”
Chorley gives the crew as follows:
F/O C B Scott.
Sgt J E Simkin.
F/S L A Harding.
F/S L W Langley PoW.
Sgt M E Hayward.
Sgt F A Saunders.
Sgt L J Hambly.
Those who died are buried in Holten General Cemetery.
Mike Harding refers to his Father as Lewis Arthur ‘Curly’ Harding but I am sure this is the same man. In his book ‘Bombers Moon’ Harding states that his Father joined up as a Regular before the war and gradually moved into aircrew. As I said before, his sentiments regarding the death of his Father are at odds with the way in which many of us view his death. However, his words are heartfelt, honest and powerful. he makes one comment which has always struck me and that is that his Mother was a ‘bride, widow and mother all in just over a year.’
Regards,
kev35
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