Mission: Homberg

Date: 20/21st July 1944

Unit: No. 90 Squadron

Type: Lancaster I

Serial: LM185

Code: WP-D

Base: R.A.F. Tuddenham, Suffolk

Location: Boxtel, Holland

Pilot: Fl/Sgt. William Lane 613629 R.A.F. Age 23. Killed

Fl/Eng: Sgt. Edward John Flaherty 1219836 R.A.F. Age 23. Killed

Nav: Sgt. William Norman Morgan 1651121 R.A.F.V.R. Age 21. Killed

Air/Bmr: Fl/Sgt. Hugh McBeath Brown 1415876 R.A.F.V.R. Age 24. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Peter Harry Richardson 1580737 R.A.F.V.R. Age 20.Killed (1)

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Arthur Forster Marshall 1699568 R.A.F.V.R. Age 19. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Reginald Percy Naylor 2212864 R.A.F.V.R. Age 35. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

LM185 took off from it's base at R.A.F. Tuddenham, Suffolk at 23.02 hrs. as part of a group of 147 Lancaster's and 11 Mosquitoes to attack the oil plant situated in the town of Homberg. German night fighters caught the Lancaster's by surprise and 20 were lost.
This Lancaster is thought to have been intercepted and shot down by Lt. Josef Forster (2) of 8./NJG2 at 01.45 hrs with the aircraft crashing into the suburbs of Boxtel. Two other Lancaster's from 90 Squadron were also lost on this raid. LM183 P-L piloted by Fl/Lt. Philp Rossington all the crew of 7 were killed. LM189 WP-U flown by F/O. Frank McGlone and his crew of 6 were also all killed.

(1) Sgt. Peter Harry Richardson was a pupil of Moseley Grammar School from 1935 to 1940.
(2) Lt. Josef Forster survived the war with 15 confirmed claims.

Burial details:

Fl/Sgt. William Lane. Boxtel R/C Churchyard Grave 6.
No further details as yet.
Sgt. Edward John Flaherty. Boxtel R/C Churchyard Grave 7.
Son of Isabel Flaherty, and stepson of Robert Priestley, of Batley, Yorkshire.
Sgt. William Norman Morgan. Boxtel R/C Churchyard Grave 1.
Son of George Robert and Edith Joyce Morgan, of Newport, Monmouthshire.
Fl/Sgt. Hugh McBeath Brown. Boxtel R/C Churchyard Grave 8.
Son of Dr. William Brown, M.B., and Margaret Elizabeth Brown, of Penyfai Lane, Glamorgan; husband of Elizabeth Brown.
Sgt. Peter Harry Richardson. Boxtel R/C Churchyard Grave 5.
Son of Robert Tait Richardson and Jessie May Richardson, of Billesley, Birmingham.
Sgt. Arthur Forster Marshall. Eindhoven Gen Cemetery Plot KK. Grave 117.
Son of Arthur and Caroline Marshall, of Low Fell, Gateshead, Co. Durham.
Sgt. Reginald Percy Naylor. Eindhoven Gen Cemetery Plot KK. Grave 118.
Son of Arthur Lewis Naylor and May Naylor; husband of Sarah Naylor, of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.
Researched by: Kelvin T. Youngs (A.R. Society) For relatives of the crew.
Acknowledgments: With thanks to the following: Keith Townsend, historian of MoseleySchool memorial records, Bill Chorley - "Bomber Command Losses", Theo Boiten - "German Nightfighter War Diaries", Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt "Bomber Command War Diaries", the superb work of the C.W.G.C.