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Excavations > 2008>
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Lancaster,
France |
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Last of the Dambusters
The site of ED825 the last 'Dambuster' Lancaster has been found
in France.
Lancaster
ED825 had been built at Avro’s Woodford factory in Manchester.
It was the third aircraft to be completed with the special ‘Type
464 Provisioning’ Dambuster modifications. The first two
aircraft (ED765 and ED817) were used in the dropping trials
of the new weapon. ED825 however, was flown to the Aircraft
and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down for
tests to determine how the modified aircraft would fly.
The Dambuster Raid
Flight Lieutenant McCarthy flew ED825 on the Dambuster Raid,
the last of the flight of five detailed to attack the Sorpe.
During the outward flight the crew reported seeing several fighters
above them and both gunners exchanged fire with Flak positions
and shot out the searchlights. At one point, Sergeant Batson,
the front gunner, asked for permission to open fire on a train
only to discover it was a Flak train. The return fire hit the
aircraft in the port undercarriage nacelle and burst the tyre.
The crew flew on to the Sorpe Dam, but found it to be shrouded
in mist. McCarthy circled for a while before making his first
run over the dam. The attacks made by Guy Gibson and the rest
of the squadron at the Möhne and Eder dams required the
bomb to be set spinning before it was dropped so that it would
‘bounce’ off the water until it hit the wall of
the dam at right angles. The Sorpe Dam was built differently
and for this the bomb had to be dropped along the length of
the dam and not spinning. McCarthy made his bomb run over a
hill on one side of the valley, dived down the hillside and
levelled out to fly the 600 metres along the length of the dam.
The bomb aimer in the nose, Sergeant George Johnson, was not
satisfied and called off the drop as Joe McCarthy pulled the
aircraft up and over the hill at the other side of the valley.
Nine more times over the next half hour McCarthy attacked again
and again, but only on the tenth run did Johnson release the
bomb. His orders were to bomb from the 'lowest practical height’,
which Johnson later estimated at just 30 feet. A large explosion
was seen, but the dam held. After a short while McCarthy set
course for base. Perhaps the others would have more luck? But
only one other crew attempted an attack; the others had been
shot down. Joe McCarthy was awarded the DSO and George Johnson
the DFM for their actions on the raid.
The loss of ED825
In December 1943, 617 Squadron received a request for help in
dropping supplies to the underground forces in France. Flying
Officer Weeden flew ED825 on the December 10th 1943 mission.
Flying Officer Gordon Weeden was a Canadian, 23 years old, from
Paisley in Ontario. He had with him two other men from the RCAF,
but they were both in fact American. Warrant Officer Edward
Walters, the 26 year-old bomb aimer, came from Oakmont, Pennsylvania,
and the rear gunner, Warrant Officer Robert Cummings was from
Punxsutawney, also in Pennsylvania. The rest of the crew were
all RAF:- Sergeant Arthur Richardson, the flight engineer (19)
from Enfield in Middlesex; Pilot Officer Ralph Jones, the navigator
(22) from Wood Green in Middlesex; Flight Sergeant Robert Howell,
the wireless operator (22) from Chingford in Essex; and Sergeant
Brook Robinson, the front gunner from Blackley in Manchester.
Robinson was the only married man in the crew and, at 31, also
well above the average age for aircrew.
ED825 and its seven crew did not return.
Finding ED825
Until the research for this project began very little was known
of the last flight of ED825 and its crew. Published sources
placed the crash site around 30 miles from its correct location.
From the interpretation of the finds, the crash site and eye
witnesses it has been possible to construct and a detailed account
of ED825’s last moments.
As the aircraft approached the town of Doullens it was hit by
anti-aircraft fire from a mobile Flak battery mounted on railway
carriages in the sidings to the north of the town. ED825 was
immediately set afire, probably in its wing fuel tanks and was
described by the only first-hand witness as a ‘ball of
fire’. From the distance covered between the railway yard
and the crash site it can be estimate that the aircraft only
stayed in the air for around 35 seconds after it was hit. The
burning aircraft flew over the town from west to east, in the
l’Authie valley, before it turned to starboard and flew
into the rising ground east of the ruelle Merlin.
The remains of six crew members were removed to Meharicourt
for burial, but the body of Robert Cummings is now buried at
the Canadian War Cemetery, Leubringhen, near Calais.
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The site, on a hill overlooking the town of Doullens
in the Somme region of France. ED825 had been set alight
by Flak over the town and flown into the hill side just
35 seconds later. |
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One of items recovered was the ventral hatch / gun
position - a modification unique to this aircraft that
proved the identity of the aircraft beyond doubt. Made
largely of wood, advice was sought from the Mary Rose
Trust for its conservation. In association with the
MoD this is to be presented to a national museum for
permanent display. |
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Filmed for Channel 5 and History Channel UK by Cy
Chadwick of Atypical Media, some the excavation and
a reconstruction of the Sorpe Dam were filmed at night.
The 'Dam' was made to 1/72 scale, which made the reconstruction
nearly 9 metres long. |
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Parts of the aircraft were found over a large area,
Here team leaders Simon Parry and Mark Postlethwaite
discuss the significance of the finds with Gordon Weeden.
Gordon is the nephew of the pilot of ED825 and was named
in remembrance of him. Both Gordon and his wife Mary
flew to France from their home in Ontaio to be present
at the excavation. |
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Dambuster bomb aimer George 'Johnnie' Johnson', here
flanked by his Grandsons, attended the excavation and
was re-united with 'his' Lancaster. George was in the
nose of ED825 and dropped the Upkeep bomb on the Sorpe
Dam from just 30 feet on his 10th attempt. He was awarded
the DFM for his actions. |
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George Johnson and Gordon Weeden pay their respects
at Meharicourt Cemetery, where most of the the Lancaster's
crew now rest. |
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The Mayor and people of Doulens provided a civic
reception for George at the Town Hall. George was fortunate
not to have been aboard ED825 when it was lost as he
too was flying on similar operations at the time. |
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