| |
P/O Eddie Jones (Right) and F/O Ted Hooke showing some of the damage sustained by their Lancaster after one of their operations.
| ||
Edgar Thompson Jones was born in Moose Jaw, Canada in 1920 and later moved to Edmonton where he enlisted in November 1941. He trained at No 7 ITS, No 1 EFTS and No 5 SFTS where he graduated on the 20th November 1942. He was transferred to 103 Squadron in the autumn of 1943 as a Sergeant pilot and he and his crew commenced operations on the night of the 8/9th October 1943 taking part in a raid on Hannover. The raid was very accurate and concentrated and much damage was done to the centre of the city including the important Continental Rubber Factory and Hanomag machine tool works, which were badly damaged. Sergeant Jones and his crew completed the operation successfully. Sergeant Jones crew consisted of: - Sergeant E T Jones RCAF - Pilot. Sergeant A J Pugh RAF - Flight Engineer. Flight Sergeant J Sutherland RNZAF replaced after their second operation by Sergeant J C Johnson RAF - Air Bomber. Flying Officer E N Hooke RCAF - Navigator. Sergeant F C Smith RAF - Wireless Operator. Flying Officer J R Boyes RCAF - Air Gunner. Sergeant S Willis RAF - Air Gunner. Flight Sergeant Sutherland was killed whilst flying with the crew of Warrant Officer R Stevens RAF on the night of the 18/19th October 1943 in another raid on Hannover. Flying Officer Edwin Norman Hooke was a Canadian from Toronto and enlisted in September 1941. He completed his training as a navigator and was commisioned in September 1942. Flying Officer J R 'Bob' Boyes was a citizen of the United States of America who had enlisted in the RCAF and was the mid upper gunner in the crew. The winter of 1943/44 was a most demanding one for the Bomber Command crews with many deep penetrations into German airspace against fierce opposition. Berlin was the prime target and this period of the RAF offensive came to be known as the "Battle of Berlin", with the German capital targeted many times. Sergeant Jones was promoted to Pilot Officer in December 1943 and throughout November and December 1943 he and his crew flew eight operations, six of which were to Berlin. On the night of the 20/21st December 1943 P/O Jones and his crew took part in a raid on Frankfurt but they were forced to abort their mission due to electrical failure to the turrets of their Lancaster. All other sorties were completed successfully. During January 1944 they successfully completed four raids to Berlin and one to Magdeburg. The raid to Berlin on the night of the 30/31st January was particularily hectic and they were attacked three times by a Fw190 night fighter. The first attack was unseen and caused most damage to the Lancaster. The Fishpond early warning device gave no warning of the attack although several Lancasters were registered at the time. The Squadron records state that this suggests that the fighter approached from slightly above and out of range of the early warning device and had dipped below the level of the Lancaster to attack from underneath and behind in a position where the Fishpond could not register. P/O Jones was able to evade the second attack thanks to the warnings of his gunners but the Lancaster sustained some further damage. The third attack was evaded completely and contact with the fighter was lost. During the first two attacks the Lancaster lost the use of one engine, the rear and mid upper turrets were rendered unserviceable, the starboard tailplane and elevator and fuselage were damaged whilst one of the bomb doors was almost shot away. In addition some stores caught fire but these were jettisoned. The aircraft was most difficult to control and some height was lost and P/O Jones aborted the mission, bombing flak concentrations and then returning to base. P/O Jones was awarded a well-deserved DFC for his skilful flying, courage and cool captaincy during this most difficult flight. The crew resumed operations on the night of the 24/25th February 1944 taking part in an attack on Schweinfurt. On the night of the 24/25th March they flew their last mission to Berlin and six nights later took part in the disastrous raid on Nuremburg in which the RAF lost over 100 bombers. Further raids to German targets followed in April and P/O Jones and his crew completed their tour on the night of the 23/24th April 1944 with a mining sortie to Bornholm and the Pomeranian Bay. P/O Jones and his crew were screened after 27 operations 12 of which had been to Berlin. Of the remainder all but the last mining sortie had been to heavily defended German targets. F/O Hooke was awarded a DFC at the completion of the tour for his exellent navigation throughout and P/O Jones received a well deserved bar to his DFC for the way he had captained his crew in completing a most demanding tour of operations. P/O Jones, F/O Hooke and F/O Boyes were posted 82 OTU soon after completion of their last operation. All the members of this excellent crew survived the war as far as I am aware and Edgar Jones was presented with his DFC and bar on the 29th November 1947.
Acknowledgments | |
Five of the crew of P/O Jones being debriefed by a WAAF Intelligence Officer after return from an operation to Magdeburg 21/22nd January 1944. Left to right. F/O Ted Hooke, Sgt Sid Willis, Sgt Frank Smith, F/O Bob Boyes and Sgt Johnnie Johnson. | ||
