All names of aircrew and ex-pow on air-craft.
D. Beaton Aircraft Crew F/L.
A. McMurrugh Aircraft Crew F/S
R.B. Hilchey Aircraft Crew F/O RCAF
J.G. Brittain Aircraft Crew F/S
R.M. Toms Aircraft Crew P/O RCAF
O.C. Evers Aircraft Crew P/O RCAF
Name. Regiment or Corps. Camp. Pow. No. Army No. Rank. Born.
R.W. Wheeler Royal Engineers 07B 340 85759 Capt. Kent
P.A.T. Campbell Royal West Kent Regt. 07B 224 124175 Lt. Southend-on-Sea
E.T.T. Snowdon Royal Artillery 07B 1123 94190 Lt. West London
R. A. Adams. Royal Warwickshire 344 12497 5111739. Sgt. Coventry
E. L. Belshaw. East Surrey Regt 383 6774 2650397 Cpl. Wigan
A. G. Thompson Worcestershire Regt. 344 6259 5253245 Cpl. Worcester
G.W. Franks Kings Royal Rifle 8B 2584 6844798 L/Cpl. London
H. Cummings Lancashire Fusiliers 344 35265 3461448 Fus. Salford
O. Parkin Lancashire Fusiliers 21D 4948 3448706 Fus.
J. Roe Irish Guards 8B 3308 2719806 Gdsm Birmingham
A.J.S. Crowe Royal Artillery 7A 125860 840450 Gunner Preston
A. N. Labotake SAA Gunner
W.L. Lindhelmer PAL
M. Maschit PAL
T. Anderson Cameron Highlanders 7A 137173 2940187 Pte. Glasgow
W. L. Ball Queens Royal Regt 8B 7289 804169 Pte. Ashford,Mx
S.J. Bayston Green Howards 7A 4751822 Pte. London
R.A. Betton K.S.L.I. 344 139030 4032985 Pte. Shropshire
R.E. Clark Royal Scots 7A 142863 5954856 Pte. Bedfordshire
W. Croston Pioneer Corps 8B 3737 2185985 Pte. Salford
R. Danson East Surrey Regt 7A 135108 3392078 Pte. Lancashire
R. Turnbull Durham Light Inf 8B 35785 4451208 Pte. Gateshead
P. Yates Leicestershire Regt 07B 83763 14208422 Pte. London. SW
T.J. Edwards Rfn.
The Lancaster took off at 7-26 am on the 9th May 1945 for the continent from Waterbeach and commenced the return flight from Juvincourt in France at 12-15 hours. A message giving their time of arrival was received at his base at 12-19 by the pilot, shortly after the pilot reported he was experiencing trouble with the controls and was putting back to Juvincourt. But a futher message sent by the aircraft at 12-25 stating that it was making a forced landing. Flares were fired off from an airfield on route indicating permission to land to which no acknowledgment was received. At 12-30 hours this aircraft was seen by a number of witnesses on the ground to approach Roye Ami airfield from the west at a height of 10,000 feet. After circling the airfield twice the aircraft was seen to go into a steep bank to port, before going into a flat spin and crashing into the ground one mile east of Roye Ami.
On investigation into the crash, it was not possible to account for the necessity for a forced landing, as the aircraft seemed to be fully serviceable or to establish definitely the cause of the crash, which must therefore remain obscure. The position of the passengers to the rear of the fuselage however indicated that the aircraft may have been tail heavy, this could have resulted in the pilot finding the aircraft to be dangerously heavy and believing that there was something seriously wrong with the aircraft, he prepared to make a force landing at the nearest airfield, where he lost control and crashed. But whether their incorrect positions was assumed before or after difficulties arose when the aircraft became out of control could not be determined. All the passengers and crew lost their lives and were buried at Clichy Northern Cemetery, which is on the northern boundary of Paris.
Just before his death Pilot F/L Don Beaton had rejoined 514 Squadron after recovering from injuries suffered after being hit by flak during an attack on the German garrison at Le Havre on September 8th 1944. Though in severe pain and only partly conscious, he managed to cross the Channel and crash-land the aircraft at Tangmere. In recognition he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. For most of his operational tour he was a Warrant Officer. He was commissioned a Pilot Officer around August 20th 1944 and promoted to Flying Officer around September 5th. The op on which he was wounded was his 24th. Ron A. Pickler, Ex-514 Squadron, recalls that he met him when he visited the squadron, still on crutches. He told him that his wounds were still exuding phosphorous from the shell that hit him, he had only six more to complete his tour.
Cpl. Albie G. Thompson, who also died in the aircrash was captured in May 1940, he had spent the war at Stalag XXA at Thorn, where he was joined in the summer of 1941 by boyhood friend, Ron Harrison. Together, they had been part of that terrible exodus on foot and by train, through the winter of 1945 to Southern Germany, where they were liberated by the Americans. On May 9th, the day of the crash, they were together in the queue at Juvincourt, but Thompson was No. 25 in the lineup so, while Harrison made one flight, Thompson was compelled to wait for the next and fatal flight. Harrison arrived at Thompson's girlfriend's house to tell her Albie was on the next plane. They had put up a " Welcome Home " banner when she received the Air Ministry telegram reporting his death.
