Mid North Coast Pioneers - Newcastle to Lismore and beyond

Thomas as a Flight Sergeant, was a gunner in the Lancaster II bomber, number LL.640 targeting Frankfurt on the night of the 18th March 1944. The other members of the crew were:

Pilot Officer A.S. Frampton - Pilot Flight Sergeant R.G. Rivers - Navigator Sergeant B.E. Ansell - WOP/AIR, Sergeant P.F. Willis-Culpitt - A/B, and Sergeant C.H. Winters - Gunner, and Sergeant S.R.T. Price - Flight Engineer.

All except Sgt. Price were killed. Sgt Price was taken prisoner of war.

Mike Need has written at his wonderful web site:

http://www.need-family.demon.co.uk

This aircraft was a "Part of a force of 846 aircraft including 620 Lancaster, 209 Halifaxes and 17 Mosquitoes, tasked to attack Frankfurt that night. This was the largest number of Lancasters used in one raid and the largest quantity of bombs dropped in the war to that date. A total of 22 (10 Lancasters, 12 Halifaxes) aircraft, 2.60 percent of the force were lost that night.

One other Lancaster (DS629) was lost that night from 115 Squadron. It crashed on landing and was damaged beyond repair."

The bodies of the crew members who lost their lives were recovered from the wreckage by the German authorities and interred in a communal grave in the Thallichtenberg Cemetery (Map Ref: K50/L.710067), 5 Km form the crash site. The grave was ‘4 yards inside gate on left’ and marked with a cross inscribed: 6 Unknown English Flyers 18.3.44.

The remains of Thomas and the others were exhumed on 10 May 1948 and re-interred at the Rheinberg British Military cemetery.

A report contained in the military record of Thomas states:

"The exhumation of this crew took place on 10/5/48 at the Jewish cemetery of Thallichtenberg.

Exhunation revealed six bodies buried in one grave without coffins. SGT. WINTERS and SGT. ANSELL definitely identified by their discs. F/SGT RIVERS identified by "N" brevet and imprint of F/SGT chevrons on sleeve. As only two F/SGT in the crew the remining body found with F/SGT's brevet would be that of F/SGT HENNESSY. Of the two remaining unidentified bodies, on one was found the enclosed wrist watch, which would belong to either P/O FRAMPTON or SGT. P.F. WILLIS-CULPITT."