Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 16, 2011 1:05:49 GMT 12
Missing in action: Search for relatives of WWII airman
People7 Mar 11 @ 11:00am by James Twining
A BRITISH historian has pleaded for help to honour an Australian airman who was shot down in a World War II bombing raid.
Paul Kurn, of Horsham in West Essex, contacted the Leader to help find relatives of RAAF Pilot Officer Jack Murray Clyde Wilson, who flew with the RAF 100 Squadron in operations over Germany during 1944-45.
War records show P/O Wilson and his wife, Olwen Alys Wilson, lived at an Essendon address when he enlisted. Mr Wilson was born in Oakleigh and his parents still lived in the suburb when he was killed.
Mr Kurn said he wanted to create a permanent memorial at the plane’s crash site in Holland.
Mr Kurn’s late father was a Leading Aircraftman for the 100 Squadron Lancaster bombers at Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire and knew P/O Wilson.
He repaired and cared for P/O Wilson’s Lancaster JB603, nicknamed “Take it Easy”, through most of its 112 sorties.
It was one of only 34 from Bomber Command to survive past the 100 mark.
P/O Wilson, a wireless operator, was among the last to fly her.
He and his six-man crew were shot down on January 5, 1945, over German-occupied Holland, returning from a raid on Hanover.
Mr Wilson left behind Mrs Wilson and a two-year-old daughter he never met.
War records show it took seven months before Mrs Wilson discovered her husband’s fate, after he was declared “missing”.
Mr Kurn said he followed the crew’s story out of respect for his father, starting with researching operations. But this soon turned to finding surviving crew members and how the last crew was lost without contact.
“Jack Wilson is one of the final pieces to the puzzle,” Mr Kurn, 47, said. “I had a name and four faces but no idea who was who.”
“Sadly, I have no idea how well my father knew Jack, but from what I have been told the ground crews were very close to the aircrews, seeing them off and back from ops.”
Commonwealth war records show P/O Wilson enlisted in Melbourne and worked for the British Australian Tobacco Company. He and and his wife lived in Woodland St Essendon, now Strathmore.
The house’s present-day owner, podiatrist Bernard Commerford, said the house was owned at the time by a Harold John Hubbard. Records indicate this may have been Mrs Wilson’s father.
THE GERMAN ACE
The German Luftwaffe pilot who claimed the target was Lieutenant Rolf Ebhardt, whom Mr Kurn met in 2008.
The shooting down of “Take it Easy” was his eighth and last victory, having flown 82 operations and been awarded the Iron Cross First and Second Class.
“As with most of my research luck played a big part,” he said.
“I found out about him through a web forum and googled his name this gave me an e-mail address.
‘`I emailed him and by shear luck he was coming to England… two weeks after finding out his name I was sitting with him and talking for over two hours.
“(Ebhardt) talked through the shooting down of ‘Take it Easy’ in full detail and signed a picture of himself taken during the war,” Mr Kurn said.
“He seemed a very nice man and to hear his side of the conflict was very moving and gave me a whole new outlook on those dark days.
“He had no glory in what had happened and I felt, if anything, that he was saddened at ending the lives of the crew.’‘
THE LETTER
LIKE for many Australians during the war, the news of Jack Wilsons death did not reach his wife Olwen for several months.
War records show Mrs Wilson received a telegram from the Air Ministry on January 5 1945, saying her husband was missing after having not returned from an operation.
The next day, RAF Wing Commander A. F. Hamilton, P/O Wilson’s commanding officer at Grimsby, wrote to Mrs Wilson.
“I can fully appreciate how eagerly you are awaiting even the slightest piece of news as to what happened to the crew, but unfortunately, there is no information available whatever, apart from the fact that the aircraft set off from Base about 7.10pm to attack targets in Hanover. It is hoped that the crew were able to abandon their aircraft, and are safe as prisoners of war, or even still at large.’‘
Mrs Wilson had received second-hand information, via a friend listening to German radio broadcasts from England, that an airman possibly from the Take it Easy crew had been captured.
But it took until August for P/O Wilson’s death to be confirmed, after local Dutch intelligence said the crews bodies had been buried at a local cemetery.
Wing Commander Hamilton said P/O Wilson was an experienced operator and much loved by his fellow airmen.
“Jack and his crew had been with us about three months and had carried out a large number of operational sorties,’’ he wrote.
“He was a most capable and efficient Wireless Operator and his Captain and crew had the upmost confidence in him. I have every reason to believe that if skill and judgement were of any avail, we shall soon hear that the crew are safe.
“During the time he was with us, Jack had become very popular with his colleagues and they have all asked to join me in expressing our very deepest sympathy with you during the days of anxious waiting which lie ahead.
“You can rest assured that the Air Ministry will notify you immediately (if) any information is received.’‘
THE SQUADRON
The 100 Squadron has an important place in Royal Australian Air Force history.
Born in the UK during WWI, the squadron was later based at Singapore up until early 1942. Some crews went on to form 100 RAAF Squadron, while others returned to the UK to re-establish 100 RAF Squadron.
The RAF 100 Squadrons comprised a mix of nationalities - Australian, New Zealand, South African, Polish, Americans, Argentines and Canadians - all of whom who lost crews in costly bombing raids on Germany.
RAF 100 Squadron was considered to be one of Bomber Command’s most effective in the WWII offensive. Between early 1943 and the German surrender on May 8 1945, the squadron flew 4000 sorties on 280 raids.
A total of 594 men were killed, 92 aircraft lost on operations and 21 more crashed, many after executing successful operations.
moonee-valley-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/missing-in-action-1/
People7 Mar 11 @ 11:00am by James Twining
A BRITISH historian has pleaded for help to honour an Australian airman who was shot down in a World War II bombing raid.
Paul Kurn, of Horsham in West Essex, contacted the Leader to help find relatives of RAAF Pilot Officer Jack Murray Clyde Wilson, who flew with the RAF 100 Squadron in operations over Germany during 1944-45.
War records show P/O Wilson and his wife, Olwen Alys Wilson, lived at an Essendon address when he enlisted. Mr Wilson was born in Oakleigh and his parents still lived in the suburb when he was killed.
Mr Kurn said he wanted to create a permanent memorial at the plane’s crash site in Holland.
Mr Kurn’s late father was a Leading Aircraftman for the 100 Squadron Lancaster bombers at Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire and knew P/O Wilson.
He repaired and cared for P/O Wilson’s Lancaster JB603, nicknamed “Take it Easy”, through most of its 112 sorties.
It was one of only 34 from Bomber Command to survive past the 100 mark.
P/O Wilson, a wireless operator, was among the last to fly her.
He and his six-man crew were shot down on January 5, 1945, over German-occupied Holland, returning from a raid on Hanover.
Mr Wilson left behind Mrs Wilson and a two-year-old daughter he never met.
War records show it took seven months before Mrs Wilson discovered her husband’s fate, after he was declared “missing”.
Mr Kurn said he followed the crew’s story out of respect for his father, starting with researching operations. But this soon turned to finding surviving crew members and how the last crew was lost without contact.
“Jack Wilson is one of the final pieces to the puzzle,” Mr Kurn, 47, said. “I had a name and four faces but no idea who was who.”
“Sadly, I have no idea how well my father knew Jack, but from what I have been told the ground crews were very close to the aircrews, seeing them off and back from ops.”
Commonwealth war records show P/O Wilson enlisted in Melbourne and worked for the British Australian Tobacco Company. He and and his wife lived in Woodland St Essendon, now Strathmore.
The house’s present-day owner, podiatrist Bernard Commerford, said the house was owned at the time by a Harold John Hubbard. Records indicate this may have been Mrs Wilson’s father.
THE GERMAN ACE
The German Luftwaffe pilot who claimed the target was Lieutenant Rolf Ebhardt, whom Mr Kurn met in 2008.
The shooting down of “Take it Easy” was his eighth and last victory, having flown 82 operations and been awarded the Iron Cross First and Second Class.
“As with most of my research luck played a big part,” he said.
“I found out about him through a web forum and googled his name this gave me an e-mail address.
‘`I emailed him and by shear luck he was coming to England… two weeks after finding out his name I was sitting with him and talking for over two hours.
“(Ebhardt) talked through the shooting down of ‘Take it Easy’ in full detail and signed a picture of himself taken during the war,” Mr Kurn said.
“He seemed a very nice man and to hear his side of the conflict was very moving and gave me a whole new outlook on those dark days.
“He had no glory in what had happened and I felt, if anything, that he was saddened at ending the lives of the crew.’‘
THE LETTER
LIKE for many Australians during the war, the news of Jack Wilsons death did not reach his wife Olwen for several months.
War records show Mrs Wilson received a telegram from the Air Ministry on January 5 1945, saying her husband was missing after having not returned from an operation.
The next day, RAF Wing Commander A. F. Hamilton, P/O Wilson’s commanding officer at Grimsby, wrote to Mrs Wilson.
“I can fully appreciate how eagerly you are awaiting even the slightest piece of news as to what happened to the crew, but unfortunately, there is no information available whatever, apart from the fact that the aircraft set off from Base about 7.10pm to attack targets in Hanover. It is hoped that the crew were able to abandon their aircraft, and are safe as prisoners of war, or even still at large.’‘
Mrs Wilson had received second-hand information, via a friend listening to German radio broadcasts from England, that an airman possibly from the Take it Easy crew had been captured.
But it took until August for P/O Wilson’s death to be confirmed, after local Dutch intelligence said the crews bodies had been buried at a local cemetery.
Wing Commander Hamilton said P/O Wilson was an experienced operator and much loved by his fellow airmen.
“Jack and his crew had been with us about three months and had carried out a large number of operational sorties,’’ he wrote.
“He was a most capable and efficient Wireless Operator and his Captain and crew had the upmost confidence in him. I have every reason to believe that if skill and judgement were of any avail, we shall soon hear that the crew are safe.
“During the time he was with us, Jack had become very popular with his colleagues and they have all asked to join me in expressing our very deepest sympathy with you during the days of anxious waiting which lie ahead.
“You can rest assured that the Air Ministry will notify you immediately (if) any information is received.’‘
THE SQUADRON
The 100 Squadron has an important place in Royal Australian Air Force history.
Born in the UK during WWI, the squadron was later based at Singapore up until early 1942. Some crews went on to form 100 RAAF Squadron, while others returned to the UK to re-establish 100 RAF Squadron.
The RAF 100 Squadrons comprised a mix of nationalities - Australian, New Zealand, South African, Polish, Americans, Argentines and Canadians - all of whom who lost crews in costly bombing raids on Germany.
RAF 100 Squadron was considered to be one of Bomber Command’s most effective in the WWII offensive. Between early 1943 and the German surrender on May 8 1945, the squadron flew 4000 sorties on 280 raids.
A total of 594 men were killed, 92 aircraft lost on operations and 21 more crashed, many after executing successful operations.
moonee-valley-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/missing-in-action-1/
