Personnel Index - Detail

Name
BOURTON
First Names
Eric
Rank
F/O
Service
RAF
Service Number
153873
Crew Position
Navigator
PoW Camp(s)
-
Age
21
Date of Death
06/10/1944
Cemetery

 

Photographed by Malcolm Brooke



The Beatson crew, image courtesy of Carole King.
Left to Right: F/O J.C King (BA), F/O L McGonagal (W/Op), F/O J.W Murray (MuG), F/O C. Beatson (Pilot), F/O F. Bourton (Nav), Sgt A Stephen (RG) and Sgt D Harrison (FE).

6/7 October, 1944; BREMEN:

1 and 5 Groups combined their efforts once again, when 246 Lancasters delivered a tremendous 'hammer blow' to Bremen. On a clear moonlit night, the Mosquitoes had little difficulty in marking the aiming point before calling the Main Force in to bomb. Large fires were soon started and crews reported that the glow from the fires could be seen 100 miles away and the target, the river and other features could be clearly seen.
The squadron had dispatched 17 aircraft, deciding to send five new crews on the raid. Aircraft started to request landing instructions shortly after 22.00hrs but by 22.38hrs, only 15 had landed back at Fiskerton. Into the early hours of Saturday morning, it became clear that for the first time since 28/29 July the squadron had suffered casualties. Two 49 crews failed to return from the operation; the 'freshman' crew of F/O Cyril Beatson plus the crew captained by F/O Ken Harrop. The Beatson crew are all buried alongside each other in the Beckligen War Cemetery at Soltau in Germany.

Lancaster PB429 (EA-)
F/O C. Beatson Pilot (Killed)
Sgt D. Harrison F/E (Killed)
F/O E. Bourton NAV (Killed)
F/O L.R. McMonagle RAAF W/OP (Killed)
F/O J.W. Murray RAAF A/G (Killed)
F/O J.C. King A/B (Killed)
Sgt A. Stephen A/G (Killed)

Crew on their 1st operation

Additional information courtesy of John Johns:
Coned by of 2 & 3/Flakscheinw Abt 269. Hit by 4/schw Flak Abt 531, 5/schw Flak Abt 390 and 2/schw Flak Abt 542. Fell Leuchtenburg at 20:10.
(Nachtjagd Combat Archives 1944 Part 4 - Theo Boiten)

Fg Off King initially buried in Osterholz Cemetery. Reinterred Becklingen - 15th August 1946.

Fg Off Beatson, Sgt Harrison, Fg Off Bourton, Fg Off McMonagle RAAF, Sgt Stephen and Fg Off Murray RAAF were initially buried in Wessermunde Civil Cemetery. Reintered Becklingen -  3 August 1946.

Click this link to view the detailed report by the Graves Investigation Team....opens in a new window.