Personnel Index - Detail

Name
UPTON
First Names
Stanley James
Rank
F/Sgt
Service
RAF
Service Number
1575421
Crew Position
Navigator
Age
22
Date of Death
22/03/1944
Cemetery

 

Photographed by Malcolm Brooke



Image via Ashley Hales and courtesy of Susan Harrington (Stanley's niece).
 

22/23 March, 1944; FRANKFURT:

Frankfurt again, and 49 Squadron managed to get 19 airborne.
The accurate PFF marking and bombing by over 800 aircraft ensured that Frankfurt suffered yet another heavy blow. Diversions had confused the Germans, who at first forecast Hannover as the target, but a few night-fighters did manage to find the bomber stream and 26 Lancasters and 7 Halifaxes failed to return.
Again Fiskerton had suffered losses when two crews were posted missing; F/O Donald Turner (survivor of Chapel-St-Leonards beach crash Nov 43) and crew (except Sgt Velasco A/G who became a PoW) were sadly all killed.


Lancaster ND672 (EA-U)
F/O D.G. Turner Pilot (Killed)
Sgt E. Lee F/E (Killed)
F/S S.J. Upton NAV (Killed)
Sgt L.H. Nightingale W/AG (Killed)
Sgt P. Velasco A/G (P.o.W.)
F/O W. Pearce A/B (Killed)
F/S J.N.E. Bennett RCAF A/G (Killed)

Crew on their 4th operation
 

This document (which opens in a new window) is a postwar letter from Sgt Velasco to the brother of Sgt Linton Nightingale and is reproduced by kind permission of Ashley Hales who is Sgt Nightingale's nephew.



The original wooden cross for the grave (only five names as Jack Bennett was buried separately and Peter Velasco managed to parachute out. 

Additional details researched by Ashley Hales:
Stanley was born in Kings Norton near Birmingham and posted into 49 squadron on Boxing Day 1943 in the crew of Peter E G Harford (later to be KIA in November 1944) along with Peter Velasco.
He completed five operations as a crew with Harford before he was grounded with ear trouble. His first operation as a 'spare' was with Don Turner on 22nd March along with his old crew mate Peter Velasco. This was unfortunately when they were shot down and all lost except for Peter Velasco.
 
Stanley was the youngest of three children. Unfortunately for Stan's parents they not only lost Stanley in March 1944 but his older brother George Harry Upton was killed on the 7th December 1943 whilst serving as a Lieutenant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He was 28 years old and is buried in Minturno War Cemetery, Italy.