Preparation
  Sergeant Lawrence Nichols   
 

Sgt. Lawrence Nichols - RAFVR

 
Sergeant Lawrence Nichols was serving as Wireless Operator on board Lancaster Mk.III ED-887 coded AJ-A during Operation Chastise on May 16/17, 1943. The aircraft's target was the Mohne Dam as part of the first wave. After successfully dropping its mine and causing a breach in the dam, S/L Young followed W/C Gibson's to the Eder Dam and then back to the Mohne when the attack was finished.  The aircraft was hit by flak on its return trip home and crashed near Ijmuiden, the entire crew was killed.

The other crewmembers were:

Name

Service

Trade

Hometown

Age

S/L Henry Young - DFC 

RAFVR

Pilot

-

27

F/O Vincent MacCausland

RCAF

Bomb Aimer

Tyne Valley, Prince Edward Island

30

F/Sgt Charles Roberts

RAFVR

Navigator

-

-

Sgt David Horsfall

RAFVR

Flight Engineer

Hove, Sussex

23

Sgt Gordon Yeo 

RAFVR

Front Gunner

Barry Dock, Glamorgan

20

Sgt Wilfred Ibbotson

RAFVR

Rear Gunner

Bretton, Yorkshire

29

 

All of the crew lie in Bergen General Cemetery.

Lawrence was the son of Mr and Mrs Edward Nichols and husband of Georgina Nichols , father of Brian and Jill. of Westgate, Kent. He was born on 17th May 1910 at Northwood, Middlesex, sadly he lost his life on his 33rd birthday.
 

 

 
  Photo courtesy of Robin Penn, research by Linda Ibrom.