| Flight Sergeant
Thomas Pragnell was serving as an air gunner on board Lancaster Mk. II
DS831 coded QO-N
during an
operation to Berlin on December 16,1943. The aircraft departed East
Moor at 1629hrs but was shot down by a night fighter piloted by
Obit Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, IV/NJG1. The aircraft crashed
between Witjaard and Weidum Friesland, some 7 km S of Leeuwarden,
Holland at 1841hrs. Six of
the eight man crew were killed, including Flight Sergeant
Thomas Pragnell. The crew
consisted of:
|
Name |
Service |
Trade |
Hometown |
Age |
|
F/O W.C.Fisher |
USAAF |
Pilot |
- |
- |
|
Sgt Owen.D.Lewis - POW |
RCAF |
2nd Pilot |
- |
- |
|
Sgt Raymond Hughes |
RAFVR |
Flight Engineer |
Bangor, Caernarvonshire, Wales |
19 |
|
F/Sgt James Briegel |
RCAF |
Navigator |
- |
- |
|
F/Sgt Thomas Pragnell |
RAFVR |
Bomb Aimer |
Northampton |
22 |
|
F/Sgt Montagu Brudell - POW |
RAAF |
W/Op/AG |
Sydney,Australia |
21 |
|
W/O Raymond Saunders |
RAAF |
Air Gunner |
East Guildford,W.Australia |
23 |
|
F/Sgt Herbert Turner |
RCAF |
Air Gunner |
London, Ontario |
24 |
Flight
Sergeant Thomas Walter Pragnell RAFVR was the son of George and
Sarai Ann of Northampton. He was the twin brother of Jack and also
Elsie,Noreen,Stan and Doris. Before enlisting he worked at
Manfields Shoe Factory in Northampton. His twin brother Jack was
also a bomb aimer in the RAFVR
.jpg) |
|
Twin brothers Jack and
Thomas Pragnell both served as Bomb Aimers in
Bomber Command |
After
the war, at a ceremony to mark the 50th Anniversary of
the crash, Jack Pragnell, twin brother to Thomas met one of the
survivors of the crew who told him that a decision was made to guide
the plane to an area away from the town (as they had a full bomb
load) to cause the least damage to the town, a decision that would
cause 6 of the crew to lose their lives. Flying Officer Fisher rests
in the United States Military cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz
Cemetery in Belgium, while his five crew rest in the Leeuwarden
Protestant Churchyard.
An excellent and
detailed account of the crew's last operation together was written
by M.N.Huizenga
can be seen here.
|
