| Squadron Leader
Alec Panton Cranswick
was piloting Lancaster Mk. II ND-846 coded TL-J during an
operation to bomb the railway yards at Villeneuve on July 4/5, 1944.
The aircraft took off from Graveley at 2316hrs and was dropping
target markers for the main force when it was hit by flak and
exploded. F/Sgt Wilf Horner was thrown clear in the
explosion and parachuted safely to the ground but suffered serious
burns, the rest of the crew were killed in the explosion and are
buried in the Clichy New Communal Cemetery. The
crew consisted of:
|
Name |
Service |
Trade |
Hometown |
Age |
|
Sgt Charles Erickson |
RAFVR |
Flight Engineer |
- |
- |
|
F/O Reginald Kille |
RAF |
Navigator |
Slough, Bucks. |
24 |
|
F/Lt Philip Burt - DFC |
RAF |
Bomb Aimer |
- |
- |
|
F/Lt Albert Taylor |
RAFVR |
Bomb Aimer |
Mosely,Birmingham |
25 |
|
F/Sgt Wilf Horner - POW |
RAFVR |
W/Op/AG |
- |
- |
|
F/Sgt Eric Davies |
RAFVR |
Mid Upper Gunner |
- |
- |
|
F/Sgt Alfred Wood |
RAFVR |
Rear Gunner |
- |
- |
Alec Cranswick
was the son of Philip and May Cranswick. He was married to Doris of
Oxford and they had a son Alex Parr Cranswick. Alec served in the
Metropolitan Police before joining the RAF, being appointed
temporary acting P/O on September of 1939. In June 1940 he joined
214 squadron at Stradishall, Suffolk. After 29 missions he was
transferred to the Middle East & Malta and 148 squadron. In
December 1942 he was posted to 419 RCAF squadron where he completed
five missions before joining 35 Squadron in January 1943. He was
promoted to Flight Lieutenant and was awarded a DFC for having flown
sixty one missions in total. By the time of his last op he had flown
over 100 sorties, he was 24 years of age at the time of his death. |
