Honouring 80th Anniversary of 514 Sqn Crews lost 15/16th June 1944
The Kingham Crew
This would have been their 27th mission as a crew.
15/06/1944 LL690 JI-J Bombing Valenciennes 23.14 x 00.52
Bomb load 16 x 500 GP, 2 x 500 MC. Primary target: Valenciennes. Aircraft missing.
Shot down 16/06/1944, probably at 00.52 hours by a Bf 110 flown by Oblt. Peter Ehrhardt of 9/NJG5. The aircraft came down between Iwuy (Nord) and Rieux-en-Cambresis, 9 km from Cambrai. Five are buried in Rieux Communal Cemetery, while F/S Hutt is buried at Iwuy Communal Cemetery. Sgt Bloom is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
“Lest We Forget”
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The Prowles Crew
P/O. Charles Frank “Ted” Prowles. Pilot.
F/S. Ronald Bernard “Spence” Spencer. RAAF. Bomb Aimer.
F/O. Arnold Hughes Morrison. RAAF. DFC. Navigator.
Sgt. Raymond Surtees. WOP/Air.
Sgt. Arthur Albert “Bert” Holmes. MU/Gunner.
Sgt. R.D. Keen. MU/Gunner.1op
W/O2.William Ernest “Ernie,Bill” Egri. RCAF.DFM.R/Gunner. 1op
Sgt. John “Jack” Porrelli. R/Gunner. 13ops
Sgt. Henry Albert Osborn. Flight Engineer.
15/6/1944 DS816 JI-O Valenciennes 23.08
Airborne 2308 15 June 1944 from Waterbeach. Bomb Load 15 x 500 GP, and 2 x 500 MC. Aircraft missing.
Target: Valenciennes Railway Yards.
Aircraft deployed total: 224
514 Squadron: 20 (1 returned early)
Aircraft lost total: 11
514 Squadron: 2
Comments: A return to rail transport infrastructure on this split two target raid. Both the Lens and Valenciennes targets were bombed accurately. Enemy fighter activity on the Valenciennes target was quite intense which saw the loss of 5 aircraft on this raid, 2 from 514 Squadron.
Missing aircraft:
DS816, JI-O. Shot down, probably at 0051 hours by BF110 flown by Hptm Hubert Rauh of Stab II/|NJG4. Crashed at Croisilles (Pas de Calais) where those who died are buried in the British Cemetery.
The only survivor, P/O Arnold Hughes Morrison later filed the following crash report for the RAAF:
‘About eight minutes after bombing the target, we were attacked presumably by a night fighter. Cannon shell raked the port side and the port wing was set on fire. The aircraft was losing height rapidly and at about 8000 feet, the Captain ordered the crew to ‘prepare to abandon’. By 2000 feet, the Air Bomber had not been able to remove the front escape hatch. I am not certain whether the Rear Gunner, Mid Upper Gunner or the WOP had bailed out through the rear escape hatch but the remainder stayed in the aircraft. The pilot landed the aircraft on a fairly flat field and the aircraft disintegrated and was set on fire. I was unconscious for a while, and while still in a dazed condition looked without result to the numerous small fires for the remainder of the crew. I was informed by the Germans that their bodies were in the wreck and buried in the cemetery at Croisilles, France. The funeral was attended by about 2800.’
The bodies were collected June 16 at 18.00h, under supervision of Mr. Arbeltier Mayor, with the assistance of Mr. Milo, the gravedigger and a few volunteers, and then returned to the village in Horse drawn carrige to Mr. Opigez, led by Henri Pouillaude. The coffin/s were made by Emile and Leon Leport Thorel. Teams for transport and flowers were graciously given by MM. Ancelle Henry Sauvage.
Some 2800 people of Croisilles turned out to honour the dead of DS816, JI-O after it was shot down over the town. The Germans did not intervene to stop this moving tribute to the loss of F/S Ted Prowles and his crew. We can only speculate as to how much of a risk this was for them.
Madame Heller was an area Resistance Leader and a member of “The Comet Line”. She and her husband Ernest were responsible for sheltering and saving at least 21 allied servicemen. After the war, the Heller’s would eventually immigrate to Australia, residing in Queensland for the rest of their lives.
Written by Andrew Porelli, 514 Sqn Association historian
