Flight Sergeant R H Cooper (Left) and Pilot Officer D R Hollingsworth (Right)

Pilot Officer J D Gallagher. (Left) The photo was taken in Canada when Gallagher was still a Sergeant .

Sergeant J E Jennings. (Right)

The aircraft that this crew flew on this operation was an Avro Lancaster Mk III built at the Avro works at Manchester. The serial no was NE 173 and its squadron identification letters PM - E. It was delivered to 103 squadron in May 1944 and, up to its final flight, had flown on 4 operations totalling 14 hours 43 minutes flying time. Flight Lieutenant Way and crew had flown NE173 on 3 operations and Flight Lieutenant D Allwood and crew on 1 operation.

On the 6th June 1944 the airfield at Elsham Wolds must have been buzzing with talk of the D Day invasion which had taken place early that morning. The crews were briefed for a raid that night on 2 railway bridges situated at Vire in Calvados,Northern France which was an important road and rail communication centre on the River Vire. The purpose of the raid was to destroy road and rail communications at this point and prevent, or at least delay, the movement of German reinforcements and supplies to the battle area near the coast.

103 squadron detailed 18 Lancasters and crews for this operation, which was part of a force of 107 Lancasters of 1 Group and 5 Mosquito Pathfinders of 8 Group.

Flight Lieutenant Way and crew took off from Elsham Wolds at 2140. There followed an uneventful flight South across England and over the English Channel. When the Channel Islands were reached the force turned South East for a straight run in on the target. Cloud increased to 10/10ths over the French coast with cloud base at 6000 ft. The force descended through the cloud towards their bombing altitude of between 3000ft and 4000 ft.

Flight Sergeant L W Zingelmann. (Left)

Newspaper clipping and picture of Flight Sergeant J P Duns. (Right)

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