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30/31 March, 1944; NUREMBERG:
Bomber Command suffered its biggest loss of the war; 31 Halifaxes
and 64 Lancasters, 11.9 per cent of the force dispatched failed
to return.
The unit's contribution to the night’s proceedings involved
16 Lancasters; the first aircraft lifting away from Fiskerton
at 21.55hrs.
Sadly two of those aircraft 'going down' were from the squadron:
P/O Leslie Kellow (a Canadian in the RAF(VR) and crew were only
on their first operation and were the 36th aircraft to be brought
down. Mid-upper gunner, Sgt McAvoy survived from the burning
Lancaster; with his face badly burned and crusted, he crawled
around for two hours bumping into trees until villagers found
him. He was then left in a coal cellar for twelve hours without
any attention at all. Cold and in great pain he was placed in
a cart with another injured airman; the other airman was in fact
the crew’s navigator, Sgt David Rowcliffe, who couldn't
recognise Sgt McAvoy. At the local hospital, both received devoted
nursing attention but sadly David Rowcliffe passed away the next
day. Sgt McAvoy underwent thirty surgical operations for his
burns. The remaining five members of the crew had all died in
the aircraft, and are buried alongside each other in Hannover
War Cemetery.
Lancaster JB314 (EA-Q)
P/O L.G. Kellow Pilot (Killed)
Sgt S.G. Silver F/E (Killed)
Sgt D.
Rowcliffe NAV (Killed)
Sgt L.E.
Walford W/OP (Killed)
Sgt
A.J. McAvoy A/G (P.o.W.)
Sgt T.C.
Baker B/A (Killed)
P/O J. Latham
RCAF A/G (Killed)
Crew on their 1st operation
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