Halifax L 9527 crashed near Angles, France after bombing Scharnhorst

[airborne_artist]

It's hard to escape the horrors of war even on holiday sometimes. Out for a bike ride in the Vendee, my eye was drawn to a memorial a few metres from the side of a country lane outside the village of Angles, about 20m N of La Rochelle.

I parked my bike and walked to the memorial, and was surprised to see that it honoured an RAF Halifax crew of 35 Sqn whose aircraft had crashed there. It had been shot up approaching/overhead the Scharnhorst on July 24th 1941. They had taken off from Stanton Harcourt, though the squadron was based at Linton on Ouse.

I found this on another site (http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?5965-Sgt-Greville-Esnouf-35-squadron):

Halifax Mk.I serial L9527 of 35 Squadron (coded TL-M) crashed near Angles, Dept. Vendée, about 15 km WSW of Lucon. Also killed and buried same cemetery:
F/Sgt (Pilot) Clarence A. GODWIN - 745859;
Sgt (Pilot) Greville ESNOUF - 929408;
Sgt (Flt Eng) Conrad H. NEWSTEAD - 567204;
Sgt (WOp) Reginald T. RUDLIN - 912084, and
F/Sgt (Airgunner) Sidney H.J. SHIRLEY - 804422.
Two crew members were taken into captivity:
P/O (Nav) Arthur G. EPERON - 84713 (NCO nr 759159), and
Sgt (Airbomber) Eric O.T. BALCOMB - 968379.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll180/airborne_artist/Angles/plaque2.jpg

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll180/airborne_artist/Angles/plaque.jpg

Those killed are buried in CWCG graves in the civilian cemetary in Angles (on the N side of the village).

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll180/airborne_artist/Angles/fivestones.jpg

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll180/airborne_artist/Angles/shirley.jpg

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll180/airborne_artist/Angles/rudlin.jpg

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll180/airborne_artist/Angles/newstead.jpg

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll180/airborne_artist/Angles/godwin.jpg

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll180/airborne_artist/Angles/esnouf-1.jpg

If you look closely at the third picture you will see that there is a small plaque commorating Eric Balcomb who returned home after captivity and died in 1994.

The local expat Anglican community hold a service each year.

Another listing (http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=804) of the crash.

A description (http://www.archieraf.co.uk/archie/l9512tlustory1941.html) of the raid by a survivor, taken prisoner after abandoning his aircraft having dropped its bombs.

[Hipper]

Scharnhorst at La Pallice (from M J Whitley 'German Capital Ships of WW2 - original from IWM):

http://i918.photobucket.com/albums/ad28/Hipper34/001.jpg

One of the reasons Scharnhorst went to La Pallice was because things were getting too hot at Brest. After the raid on the 24th July, she returned to Brest that night.

Some relevant extracts from Alan Cooper’s book ‘We Act With One Accord’, the history of 35 Pathfinder squadron, published in 1998 (pages 20/21).

Flight Sergeant Clarence Godwin in L-9527-M having scored a direct hit on Scharnhorst was seen to go down with smoke coming from at least two engines. Only two chutes were seen to leave the doomed aircraft.

A loud explosion rattled through the nose of the aircraft and made it lurch and the front turret became full of smoke. Eric Balcombe in the meantime had been firing at an Me109 when the turret became u/s and the guns stopped firing. The flak burst had broken some of the perspex in the turret and Eric’s sunglasses, bought for sixpence in Woolworths, were destroyed (I hope he got a refund). One engine started to smoke and with three fighters attacking them it’s a wonder the aircraft did not blow up. Eric recalls that Godwin and the second pilot, Sergeant Esnouf, were suffering from severe wounds as was the flight engineer, Sergeant Newstead who was manning the side Vickers gun. All Eric could see was a bloody mask of a face somehow held together by the side straps of his helmet. Somehow he managed to stay on his feet although he was mortally wounded. Both pilots were fighting with the controls but the aircraft was going into a spin.

The wireless operator, Sergeant Rudkin, was slumped over his set and the rear gunner, Flight Sergeant Shirley, was over the controls of his gun. Pilot Officer Eperon was also wounded and Eric helped carry him to the front hatch and as he left the aircraft his chute was seen to open. A French lady, in 1985, remembered Eric coming down in his chute and an Me109 continuing to fire around him. The aircraft crashed below him at Angles, France, near a farm known as ‘Terrier du Fout’ and he felt the heat from the explosion. Today there is a deep hollow full of water where the aircraft crashed.

Eric was soon picked up and taken by a German staff car to see the wreck. P/O Eperon also survived (no more info is given).

Eric’s POW days lasted three and a half years when in January 1945, on a forced march, he managed to escape with a WO Gibbs of the RCAF. After a few weeks they were able to make contact with the advancing British troops.

At the funeral of the five members of his crew, three French people followed the coffins to the graveside. The next day the graves were covered with flowers which the Germans quickly removed. A plank of wood adorned with a reproduction of the British flag and an inscription ‘Your memory is with us everywhere we go. France cries out with hope and in praise of you’ was placed on the site.

[df850]

Readers may like to know that yesterday, the 75th Anniversary, Ceremonies were held both at the Stèle and in the Carré des Anglais in the Cemetery. Relatives of 4 of the families had been traced and were present. Unfortunately the Balcomb family were unable to participate as Eric Balcomb's oldest son died just a few weeks ago.

Highly emotional day, yet full of pride, as the airmen were honoured in the presence of the Paris Air Attaché, the local MP and various French dignitaries, representatives of the RAFA and the RBL and about 40 Standard bearers from French Veterans' Associations. Excellent temporary exhibition created from documents and photos from the families, a local school childrens' project, a large, scale model of a Halifax built by the Modelling Club and loans from the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington.

Copies of Eric Balcomb's Log Books revealed 2 interesting snippets: he had parachuted from a stricken Whitley near Doncaster just a few months before and that the unfortunate Sergeant Rudlin was flying with the Godwin crew for the first time that day.

An unforgettable and highly charged day with brilliant sunshine, 500+ participants and accolades all round for the organisation. Absolutely heart-warming.

[df850]

During considerable research for the 75th Anniversary Ceremony, a few interesting details emerged.

Sgt, later WO Balcomb, had jumped from a 78 Sqn Whitley a few months prior to July 1941. Could that have contributed to his sang froid in lugging the wounded P/O Eperon to the partially-blocked hatch to force him out before jumping himself?

Sergeant Rudlin was flying with the FS Godwin crew for the first time.

Though the ranks are correctly given on the grave-stones, they are all confused on the Stèle. We were able to correct that verbally on Sunday. Arthur Eperon was a Pilot Officer at the time, promoted to Flight Lieutenant, not Captain, by the time of his release from POW camp. Those shown as Sergent (a French rank pitched between Adjudant and Caporal), should have been shown as Adjudant or Adjudant Chef in French, Sergeant or Flight Sergeant respectively.

Though the perception at Angles had been that Arthur Eperon, unlike Eric Balcomb, was not interested in returning to Angles, and we do not have the truth on that, the Eperon Family were present in strength on Sunday and like all the other families, had had no idea that the village of Angles held their relatives in the crew in such high esteem.

[Wander00]

I was there too on Sunday, helping represent RAFA Sud Ouest. Brilliantly organised and a privilege to meet some of the relatives of the crew. Well done, the people of Angles.

[CNH]

My father was sent out to bomb them in Brest. He was flying Hampdens from 49 Squadron.

He told me they flow south until they found Portland Bill, turned to Ushant, then into Brest - but the smoke screens were already going by then, so he had to bomb blind.

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

RAFCommands Archive :: 35 Squadron: P/O Eperon (http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/07627.php)

[Wander00]

Apparently, apart from a report on French TV there was an item at 1800 yesterday on ITV Wales - may be able to get it on ITV Player


www.tv3p.fr (http://www.tv3p.fr)

[Chris Scott]

As Wander00 suggests, Télé Vend’Ouest carried a report on the ceremony. It was evidently broadcast on July 27th, in the form of a 6-minute item with interviews in French. Here's the precise link:

TV3P : L'info de votre région (http://www.tv3p.fr/voir_video.php?id=2624)

[Wander00]

Both links seem to take one to the same place, so you can use either

[Chris Scott]

Hi Wander00,
From here in the UK the link you posted leads to the latest recorded edition of Télé Vend’Ouest, updated daily. The relevant report is available by clicking on "Archives" to find the July 27th edition, or using the direct link I posted:
TV3P : L'info de votre région (http://www.tv3p.fr/voir_video.php?id=2624)

[Wander00]

Aah, all is clear. Thanks

[df850]

Two additional links to TV coverage are below. The first, a local South Vendée TV Channel, seems most taken by the photogenic collection of WW2 military vehicles.
The second, an ITV Wales film, relates to the 19 years old co-pilot, Greville Esnouf, with a very moving interview with his cousin, Ian Fairweather. Well worth a watch.

TV Vendée - Le Journal - Edition du mardi 26 juillet 2016 (http://www.tvvendee.fr/le-journal/edition-du-mardi-26-juillet-2016_26072016)


Family of WW2 pilot killed in action tracked down | Wales - ITV News (http://www.itv.com/news/wales/2016-08-01/family-of-ww2-pilot-killed-in-action-tracked/)