Ernie Holmes celebrates his 100th birthday today, January 29th. He remains in remarkably good health and may be the only surviving flight-crew member of the Pathfinders.
A Lancaster captain with 35 Sqn - based at Graveley, south of Huntingdon - Ernie Holmes embarked on his 30th Pathfinder mission on the night of 22nd May, 1944. After successfully bombing a target at Dortmund, ND762 was returning by a different route at 18000 ft when it was attacked over Holland by an unseen night fighter from underneath. Following severe damage to the No. 3 engine, there was a large explosion and Ernie lost control of the aircraft as it started to break up. The Lancaster crashed between Middlebeers and Vessem in Holland at about 0129Z on 23rd May.
Of the crew of eight, only three parachuted to the ground alive, one of whom - wireless operator Frank Tudor - was seriously injured and had to give himself up. Ernie was on the run for several weeks and eventually reunited with his bombardier, Derrick Coleman. They had each been bravely assisted by a series of members of the Dutch resistance towards the Belgian border but were betrayed together on 17th June and handed over to the Gestapo at Antwerp. That led to imprisonment in Stalag Luft III at Sagan, Poland.
The Russian advance led to the camp being evacuated in January 1945 and a forced march westwards in freezing conditions for many days, followed by a train journey, to a camp at Tarmstedt, near Bremen. In the April, however, the Anglo-American advance resulted in another march, this time eastwards, again crossing the River Elbe. He and Coleman were finally released near Lubeck in May 1945 and repatriated to England. Ernie resumed flying with Transport Command and remained in the RAF for many years.
Further details and information on 35 Sqn and the memorial to the five crewmen who died can be found here:
https://35squadron.wordpress.com/201...d762-22051944/
EDIT
Details specific to Ernie's 35 Sqn sorties and crew members here:
https://35squadron.wordpress.com/2019/11/13/holmes-e/
Contrary to para.2 above, Ernie's last
operational sortie on which he was shot down was his 22nd (not 30th) with 35 Sqn, including Halifax sorties before 35 Sqn re-equipped with Lancasters.