Letter to George Stone's Wife from his Squadron
Title
Letter to George Stone's Wife from his Squadron
Description
The letter confirms the news that Ivy Stone's husband is missing.
Creator
Date
1944-08-13
Temporal Coverage
Language
Format
One typewritten letter
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
PStoneGB16010006
Transcription
No. 156 Squadron,
Royal Air Force,
Upwood,
Huntingdonshire.
13th August, 1944.
Dear Mrs Stone
It is with deep regret that I write to confirm the sad news which you have already received regarding your husband, Pilot Officer G. B. Stone.
His aircraft was engaged in an attack on Russelsheim on the night of the 12th/13th. August 1944, but as no message was received from the aircraft after leaving this country there is little that I can add to the bare statement reporting him as “Missing”.
Your husband was a member of a most outstanding crew, and I had the fullest confidence in his abilities. I am sure that he and his companions gave a very good account of themselves under whatever circumstances prevented them from bringing their aircraft back to this country. I can only hope that they were able to make a safe landing, either by parachute or in the aircraft itself.
News of this nature however, reaches us only through the International Red Cross Committee, and normally takes up to six weeks to come through. My sympathy, and that of all members of my squadron is with you in this anxious time of waiting.
It is desired to explain that the request in the telegram notifying you of the casualty to your husband was included with the object of avoiding his chance of escape being prejudiced by undue publicity in case he was still at liberty. This is not to say that any information about him is available, but is a precaution adopted in the case of all personnel reported missing.
Mrs. G. B. Stone,
Nancyville,
Plantation Tce.,
Dawlish,
[underlined] Devon. [/underlined]
P.T.O.
Royal Air Force,
Upwood,
Huntingdonshire.
13th August, 1944.
Dear Mrs Stone
It is with deep regret that I write to confirm the sad news which you have already received regarding your husband, Pilot Officer G. B. Stone.
His aircraft was engaged in an attack on Russelsheim on the night of the 12th/13th. August 1944, but as no message was received from the aircraft after leaving this country there is little that I can add to the bare statement reporting him as “Missing”.
Your husband was a member of a most outstanding crew, and I had the fullest confidence in his abilities. I am sure that he and his companions gave a very good account of themselves under whatever circumstances prevented them from bringing their aircraft back to this country. I can only hope that they were able to make a safe landing, either by parachute or in the aircraft itself.
News of this nature however, reaches us only through the International Red Cross Committee, and normally takes up to six weeks to come through. My sympathy, and that of all members of my squadron is with you in this anxious time of waiting.
It is desired to explain that the request in the telegram notifying you of the casualty to your husband was included with the object of avoiding his chance of escape being prejudiced by undue publicity in case he was still at liberty. This is not to say that any information about him is available, but is a precaution adopted in the case of all personnel reported missing.
Mrs. G. B. Stone,
Nancyville,
Plantation Tce.,
Dawlish,
[underlined] Devon. [/underlined]
P.T.O.
Collection
Citation
156 Squadron, “Letter to George Stone's Wife from his Squadron,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 23, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/28288.
Item Relations
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