Accident Avro Lancaster Mk III ED821, Friday 28 May 1943
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Date:Friday 28 May 1943
Time:01:45
Type:Silhouette image of generic LANC model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Avro Lancaster Mk III
Owner/operator:100 Sqn RAF
Registration: ED821
MSN:
Fatalities:Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:0
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:1. 5 km NE of Witmarsum, Friesland -   Netherlands
Phase: Combat
Nature:Military
Departure airport:RAF Grimsby
Destination airport:
Narrative:
Shot down by night fighter pilot Hauptmann Rudolf Sigmund of the 10./NJG 1, flying a Bf 110 G-4 from Leeuwarden airfield.

Target: Essen
Call Sign: HW-A
Takeoff time: 22:32

Crew:-
Pilot : Flight Sergeant Leonard Arthur Townrow RNZAF NZ/415041 [Fatal Injury]
Flight Engineer : Sergeant James Parker Fitchett RAFVR 1150600 [Killed]
Navigator : Flying Officer Stanley Adolfson Bishop RCAF J/13118 [Killed]
Bomb Aimer : Sergeant Eric Short RAFVR 1319336 [Killed]
Wireless Operator : Pilot Officer Joseph Bolderson RAF 129941 (NCO:1113919 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 12 January, 1943) [PoW]
Mid-Upper Gunner : Sergeant Peter Michael Cosgrove RAFVR 1585898 [Killed]
Rear Gunner : Flight Sergeant Arthur Edward Chapman RAAF Aus/414764 [Killed]

The casualties all lie at the Wonseradeel (Witmarsum) Protestant Churchyard, Netherlands (53.102419 / 5.466361) except Flight Sergeant Townrow who rests at the Leeuwarden Northern General Cemetery, Netherlands (53.209524 / 5.791253)

Sources:

https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=T2390&date=&location=&pn=&unit=&name=&cemetry=&airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 Part One
Http://www.crew-ed821.nl
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
17-Dec-2008 11:45 ASN archive Added
29-May-2018 17:17 TigerTimon Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
14-Oct-2018 16:37 Nepa Updated [Operator, Operator, ]
28-Sep-2019 19:50 Anon. Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
22-Jun-2022 16:49 Ron Averes Updated [Location, ]
20-May-2024 07:01 Rob Davis Updated [Source, Narrative, ]

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