Personnel Index - Detail
16/17 September, 1942; ESSEN:
The squadron detailed 13 aircraft for an attack on the Krupps works in Essen. The town received a scattered but damaging raid from over 360 bombers, but RAF losses were high, losing 39 aircraft. One of the 9 Lancaster crews lost, came from 49 Squadron and was captained by one of the unit's Squadron Leaders: Henry Barnard (R5890) and crew were sadly all killed when their aircraft came down in the target area. The crew are now all buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, after initially being interred at Nord Friedhof, Düsseldorf.
Lancaster R5890
S/L H.W. Barnard Pilot (Killed)
Sgt K.A. Bouffler F/E (Killed)
F/O O.D. Thomas 2nd Pilot (Killed)
F/S A.B. Brooks DFM W/AG (Killed)
Sgt A.L. Caron RCAF A/G (Killed)
Sgt W.J. Hoban RAAF W/AG (Killed)
P/O D.B. Moody W/AG (Killed)
Earlier in the war P/O Moody flew Hampden operations.
Groundcrew with P/O Rawstone (Pilot), P/O Mansbridge (Navigator), P/O Holmes (W/Ag) and P/O Moody (W/Ag). Pilot and Navigator flew their tour together with a large number of different W/Ags. Both these W/Ags were killed later in the war.
These four airmen flew together as a crew on the 28th March and 12th April 1942 so the photograph is likely to be one of those dates.
The aircraft is Hampden AT217 'S' Sugar.