Geoff's Lancaster

Geoff's Lancaster

Lancaster W4126

Six page document with details of and the loss of the loss of Geoffrey Beckett's Lancaster.
Page 1 - rear quarter b/w photograph of a Lancaster parked on grass. Caption details arrival of aircraft and squadron letters KM-B. Follows details of minor operations on 17/18 December 1942. List losses including two from 44 Squadron including W4126 (Geoffrey Beckett's aircraft).
Page 2 - top b/w photograph over open countryside. Bottom part of a crashed Lancaster. Captioned 'Top: the De Westen Field on Texel. According to local information, Lancaster W4162 crashed seventy yards from the farm building on a line from this photograph. The photo was taken in 1961 by Peter Beckett, Geoff's elder brother, on his visit to the graves. Lower: photograph of the remains of W4162 taken by a German soldier shortly afterwards. [Photograph, courtesy of Bram van Dijk]'.
Page 3 - b/w photograph of part of the wreckage.
Page 4 - b/w photograph of aircraft wreckage with farm buildings in the background.
Page 5 - hand drawn map of Texel showing position of crash site of W4162, villages and flak batteries. also marked is ditching site of Stirling BF203 of 218 Squadron,
Page 6 - titled 'the last moments of W4162 at 6.47 pm 17.12.42'. Hand drawn diagram of a Lancaster in a dive with fuselage on fire. Describes the actions and possible fates of Sgt Jones (rear gunner), F/O Loree (bomb aimer), Sgt McLeod (W/Op), F/O McCleery (Navigator), Sgt Beckett (mid-upper gunner), F/O McNamara (pilot) and Sgt Read. Only Read and Beckett bailed out, Read survived as a prisoner of war, Beckett was killed during the descent.

Six page document with drawing, map, b/w photographs, handwritten and printed text.

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Geoffs Lancaster.

[black and white photograph of a Lancaster]

Lancaster. B1. A photo of KM-B. W4126, newly delivered to R.A.F. Waddington. 44 Squadron, (the first Lancaster sqdn). From the July – November 1942 production batch. Originally coded KM-G in July ’42 then became KM-B (number 3) when R5508 left the squadron, having been the Lancaster that S/Ldr Nettleton won his V.C. on the 28/4/42 Augsburg raid. L7538 was the original KM-B.

[inserted] LOST: W4126 KM-B [/inserted]

17/18 December 1942

MINOR OPERATIONS

27 Lancasters of 5 Group were sent on raids to 8 small German towns and 16 Stirlings and 6 Wellingtons of 3 Group attempted to attack the Opel works at Fallersleben. This type of limited operation proved to be a costly failure. 9 of the 27 Lancasters were lost and, at Fallersleben, only 3 aircraft bombed the target, in cloud conditions, and 6 Stirlings and 2 Wellingtons were lost from this part of the night’s operations. 75 (New Zealand) Squadron, based at Newmarket, lost 4 out of the 5 Stirlings sent on the Fallersleben raid, including the aircraft of its commanding officer, Wing Commander V. Mitchell, whose name is on the Runnymede Memorial to the Missing.
50 aircraft were dispatched to lay mines from Denmark to southern Biscay – 1 Lancaster was lost – and there were 5 O.T.U. sorties to France.

Total losses for the night: 18 aircraft out of 104 dispatched, 17.3 per cent.

44 Squadron Lost KM-B W4126 (59 hours on A/C.) Target Nienburg. (Oil).
44 Squadron Lost KM-F R5666 (289 Hours on A/C) Target Nienburg. (Oil)
9 Squadron Lost WS-A W4155 (135 HOURS) Target Diepholz.
9 Squadron Lost WS-S. ED349 (27 HOURS) Target Cloppenburg.
50 Squadron Lost VN-N. W4266 Target Soltau.
50 Squadron Lost W4382 (24 HOURS) Target Soltau.
97 Squadron Lost OF-W R5497(38 HOURS) Target Neustadt
97 Squadron Lost OF-B ED333. Target Neustadt.
103 Squadron Lost PM- W4786 (92 HOURS) Minelaying European Coast
101 Squadron – SR-A W4319 (17 hours) Mine laying. Shot down by Redcar AA unit.

Also: Sgt S. Holmes. RNZAF. Washed ashore on Texel 21.12.42)
218 Squadron Lost Stirling BF403 HA-R crashed between Texel & Den Helder.)

[page break]

[black and white photograph of De Westen field on Texel]

[black and white photograph of a crashed Lancaster]

Top: The ‘De Westen’ Field, on Texel. According to local information, Lancaster W4126’ crashed seventy yards from the farm building on a line from this photograph. The photo’ was taken in 1961 by Peter Beckett, Geoff’s elder brother, on his visit to the graves.

Lower: Photograph of the remains of W 4126, taken by a German soldier shortly afterwards.

(Photograph, courtesy of Bram van Dijk)

[page break]

[black and white photograph of a wreckage]

[page break]

[black and white photograph of wreckage of an aircraft with farm buildings in the background]

[page break]

TEXEL. HOLLAND 17.12.42

[symbol]: THE CRASH SITES OF W4126 AND BF403.
[symbol]: KRIEGSMARINE FLAK BATTERIES.

[map drawing of the crash sites of W4126 and BF403]

[page break]

[inserted] [underlined] 273 [/underlined] [/inserted]

[underlined] APPENDIX [/underlined]

[underlined] The last moments of W4126, at 6.47 pm 17.12.42 [/underlined]

[hand drawn diagram of aircraft showing positions of the individuals on board at the time of the crash]

[underlined] Sgt. Jones. [/underlined] It is most likely that he was dead or injured in rear turret, hit by flak.
Photograph of crashed a/c does appear to show some flak damage)

The crew had “resolved to have a pact, that the two married crew members, F/O McNamara and Sgt Read, should get out first”…..
(Sgt. Read’s testimony)

[underlined] F/O Loree [/underlined] was not at his bomb aimer’s position, although this was where his parachute was stowed. He was not seen by Sgt. Read, so was behind the flaming inferno in the fuselage. He died in the plane. Perhaps he tried to fight the fire.
(Note written in War Graves handbook, Mothers writing, Based on Texel civil authorities testimony. 1945)

Sgt Read did not see [underlined] Sgt McLeod, [/underlined] the W/OP He was not at his front turret station, so was in the vicinity of his radio. His parachute was stowed by the main spar leading edge He was behind the flames in the fuselage, either dead, overcome by the blazing inferno, or unable to reach his parachute. Perhaps he tried to fight the fire.

[underlined] F/O McCleery [/underlined] was seen to be dead, lying slumped across his nav’ table, hit by flak.
(Sgt Read’s testimony and confirmed by a written note in the War Graves handbook, written by mother and based on the Texel civil authorities testimony)

On receipt of the “bail out” order, [underlined] Sgt Beckett [/underlined] left his turret, put on his parachute and bailed out from the rear exit on the starboard side, only to be hit and killed by enemy fire during his descent.
(Mothers note, written in 1945, as told by Texel civil authority.)

[underlined] F/O McNamara, [/underlined] gave ‘bail out’ order over Texel then roused Sgt. Read who was hit. At the last moment, he left his pilot’s seat and kicked Sgt. Read out of the front hatch. He had been sat on his parachute, but was too low to escape from the doomed aircraft as it went into a vertical dive.
(Sgt. Read’s testimony)

Once [underlined] Sgt. Read [/underlined] opened the front escape hatch, this would inevitably have intensified the flames burning from the cockpit, back down the fuselage.

[underlined] Sgt. Read [/underlined] did not know if any other crew were still aboard, other than F/O McCleery who was dead and F/O McNamara, whose shoes he saw on his shoulders, kicking him out of the front hatch.
(Verbal testimony) Sgt Read survived. POW.

C.B.G.