Personnel Index - Detail
F/Sgt Edward White is centre, rear row (with thanks to Nick White.......nephew of Edward)
Further images kindly provided by Nick White (nephew of Edward). Several of the images are taken in Canada during training with the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and others at an OTU in the UK.
Wilkinson, Talwadge, White(J), Scammell, Williams(K), Walker, White(E), Williams(H), Weir, Wood, Shadforth, Winfield
Walker, Collis, Docherty, White, Hartford, Golightly, Winfield, Messeson, Cunningham, Dalton, Wort, F/L Carfoot, P/O Wheate, Bell, May, Chappell
Edward White is fourth from the left (photographed in front of a Harvard)
19/20 February, 1944; LEIPZIG:
If the previous raid had been relatively quiet for the squadron then the Leipzig trip proved to be quite the opposite. Again Bomber Command put up over 800 aircraft, but this time as they crossed the Dutch coast the German night-fighters were waiting, and a running battle ensued all the way to the target. False wind forecasts had many aircraft reaching the target area too early
The losses suffered by Bomber Command on this night were horrendous -78 aircraft and crews, which included 44 Lancasters and 34 Halifaxes; this figure represented 9.5 per cent of the force. The Halifax IIs and Vs would never be asked to operate over Germany again following this raid.
Reported missing was 21 year-old pilot, F/Sgt Ed White (JB469) and crew who were all killed when B-Baker was shot down; they are buried together in Hannover War Cemetery with the exception of Sgt James Ellis the W/Op, who sadly has no known grave but is remembered at Runnymede.
This was an exceptionally young crew; two were 19, two were 20 and 22 respectively and Sgt Compton was aged 21, thus giving an average age of 20.
The cause of loss has been attributed to Oblt Martin Becker of 2./NJG6. Becker claimed for his eighth victory a Lancaster/Halifax, south east of Celle, interception height of 4,500mts at 03.02hrs. Becker survived the war and attained the rank of Hauptman with 57 confirmed victories.
Lancaster JB469 (EA-B)
F/S E. White Pilot (Killed)
Sgt J.R. Ward F/E (Killed)
Sgt W.W. S. Compton NAV (Killed)
Sgt J.E. Ellis W/OP (Missing)
Sgt D.N. Stevens A/G (Killed)
Sgt J.T. Loveland B/A (Killed)
Sgt H. Thomas A/G (Killed)
Crew on their 4th operation
The following Luftwaffe documentation was provided by Colin Cripps (49Sqn Researcher).
