P/O James Sills - 15 Squadron

Pilot Officer James Sills

Pilot Officer James Sills - RAF

Pilot Officer James Sills was serving as Wireless Operator/Air Gunner on board Lancaster Mk.III LM441 coded LS-T on March 25, 1944 when it took off from Mildenhall at 1847hrs for an operation to Berlin. The aircraft was part of as part of a force of 557 Lancasters, 216 Halifax’s and 18 Mosquito’s. LM441 which had already taken part in previous ops to Berlin and Leipzig and with a total of 83 hours on it’s airframe, was shot down by flak on its homebound journey, crashing 3 kms N of Bonn, Germany, the entire crew was killed.

The crew consisted of:

Name	Service	Trade	Hometown	Age
F/L William Grove	RAFVR	Pilot	Swansea, Wales	24
Sgt John Johnson	RAFVR	Flight Engineer	Harrogate, Yorkshire	28
Sgt Arthur Jackson	RAFVR	Navigator	Upper Tooting, London	22
F/Sgt Frank Holland	RAFVR	Bomb Aimer	Birmingham	29
P/O James Sills	RAFVR	W/Op/AG	Hull	24
F/Sgt Allan Thompson	RAFVR	Air Gunner	Batley, Yorkshire	24
P/O Ivan Tvrdeich	RNZAF	Air Gunner	Auckland, New Zealand	32

Pilot Officer James Archibald Sills RAF was the son of William and Cecilia Sills and husband of Elsie Viola of Hull. He worked as a junior clerk for the Alexandra Park Trustees, Alexandra Place, Wood Green, London from May to July 1937 before joining the RAF. Beginning as ground crew working on communication equipment, he was re-mustered and trained as a Wireless Operator before joining Bomber Command. Known as "Jimmy", he was the 24 year old at the time of his death and was Mentioned in Dispatches on 17^th July 1942

Record of Service

POSTINGS

Enlisted 9^th August 1937 at 2 Depot ,Henlow

30^th Sept.1937 to 2 Depot, Cardington

5^th Nov.1937 to E.W.& S.

27^th Sept.1938 to HQ 5 group, Grantham

9^th May 1939 to 228 Squadron. Pembroke Dock

9^th May 1939 Mediterranean

15^th Sept.1939 to 228 squadron.P.Dock

10^th Feb.1940 to Penrhos

7^th April 1940 to 11 OTU

5^th June 1940 to 214 squadron

5^th June 1940 to 75 squadron

6^th Nov.1940 admitted to RAF Hospital Ely

19^th Nov.1940,discharged from RAF Hospital Ely to possibly convalesce

15^th June 1941 to 75 Squadron

25^th July 1941 to 11 OTU

8^th March 1943 to 1652 CU

24^th March 1943 to 196 squadron

15^th April 1943 to 1654/7 CU

24^th Sept 1943 to 15 squadron

28^th Nov.1943,discharged,appointment to commission

Next posting to WCNE, Uxbridge approved with effect from 24^th March 1944

Rank & Trade

31^st Dec 1937-AC2-ACH/WO

31^st Dec 1938-AC2-wireless operator

31^st December 1939-AC1-wireless operator

31^st December 1940-T/Sgt-wireless operator/air gunner

31^st December 1941-T/F.Sgt-wireless operator/air gunner

31^st December 1942-TFSgt-wireless operator/air gunner

28^th Nov.1943-TWO-wireless operator

In the Investigation report of 23^rd August 1947 compiled by F/L Donner, the Investigation officer, the aircraft was seen at approximately 22.00 hrs approaching the village of Bergheim from the direction of Koln and Bonn. The aircraft was on fire and flying very low and finally crashed in flames at approximately 1 KM SSE of Bergheim. The crash scene was fenced off and guarded by the Military from Hangelar and the following day the remains were removed. There were three aircrew lying within 200 metres of their Lancaster, with their parachutes partly open, indicating that they were perhaps too low to bale out. P/O Tvrdeich was one to them, his body later identified by his named 'Caterpillar Club' Badge. Another three bodies were found in the wreckage. No trace of a seventh crew member was found and it was presumed that he had managed to bale out, fallen in the Rhine and drifted down the river and drowned.

F/L Grove,F/Sgt Holland,F/Sgt Thompson and P/O Tvrdeich rest in the War Cemetery at Rheinberg while P/O Sills and the remaining crew members are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth Loftus, research by Linda Ibrom.