| Sergeant Alastair
Taylor as Flight Engineer on board Lancaster Mk.III ED-934 coded
AJ-EK during Operation Chastise on
May 16/17, 1943. The aircraft's target was the Sorpe Dam as part of
the second wave. The Lancaster was hit by flak at 2300 hrs from
batteries on the Isle of Texel (on the Dutch Coast) while flying
at 300 feet outbound. It is believed that the aircraft strayed off
course and as P/O Byers and his crew tried to get a fix on their
position, were shot down by flak. It crashed into the Waddenzee
West of Harlingen and was the first aircraft shot down on this
operation with the loss of the entire crew. The other
crewmembers were:
|
Name |
Service |
Trade |
Hometown |
Age |
|
P/O Vernon Byers |
RCAF |
Pilot |
Saskatchewan |
32 |
|
Sgt Alastair Taylor |
RAFVR |
Flight Engineer |
Morayshire, Scotland |
20 |
|
F/O James Warner |
RAFVR |
Navigator |
- |
- |
|
P/O Arthur Whitaker |
RAFVR |
Bomb Aimer |
- |
- |
|
Sgt John Wilkinson |
RAFVR |
W/Op/AG |
Antrobus, Cheshire |
21 |
|
Sgt Charles Jarvie |
RAFVR |
Air Gunner |
Glasgow |
21 |
|
F/Sgt James McDowell |
RCAF |
Air Gunner |
Port Arthur, Ontario |
- |
Sergeant Alastair James Taylor RAFVR was born in 1923 in
Alves, Morayshire, Scotland. He was the son of Stephen and Sarah Ann
Taylor and older brother of Charles (who served in 100,625 & 576
squadrons). Sergeant Taylor enlisted at RAF Halton as an apprentice
straight from school.
In a letter home, written on May the 5th,eleven
days before his last, final op, and quite likely to be the last time
that he saw his mother, Alastair describes flying over the family
home in Scotland.
|
575430
Sgt
c/o
Sgnts.Mess
R.A.F.Scampton
Lincs.
My dear mother,
Well I hope we didn’t scare you too much last
Monday. I saw you and Aunt Julia just in front of the house
but I could not pick dad out anywhere, so thought he would
probably be at a pig sale.
I don’t know when my next leave is but we are
getting a 48 hour next week and might go down to Bushey. All
depends on the financial position, which at the moment is
pretty hopeless.
Vernon is getting a commission and Jimmy will get one
later. I am going to hang on a bit before I try.
I had a letter from Phyllis who has certainly been
stepping out in Inverness.
Well that’s all for the present.
Cheerio,
Alastair
|
Presumably the "Vernon" and "Jimmy"
mentioned in this letter are Vernon Byers, the pilot and Jimmy
Warner the Navigator.
Phyllis was Alastair’s sister stationed at RAF Kinloss.
Service
History
Joined the RAF as an
apprentice at RAF Halton on 17.1.1939
9 FTS-5.10.1940
4STT-14.8.1942
Awarded Flight
Engineers badge-21.10.1942
No 1654 Conversion Unit
Wigsley-1.1.1943-2.2.1943
Joined 467 Squadron
Bottesford on 3.2.1943
Flew as Flight Engineer
with P/O Byers and crew before being
Posted to 617 Squadron
Scampton on 28.3.1943-death presumed 16.5.1943
On the last page of Sergeant Taylor’s record of
service it states:
"On the night of the 16th/17th
of May 1943 this airman took part in the extremely hazardous and
highly successful raid on the Moenne, Eder, Sorpe and Schwelme Dams,
from which operation he failed to return"
Sergeant Taylor is remembered on Panel 166 at Runnymede. and also
on the Roll of Honour for Old Haltonians Apprentices. The
body of Flight Sergeant McDowell RCAF was recovered on June the 22nd
and he was laid to rest in the Harlingen General Cemetery.
His crewmates also have no known graves and are remembered on the
Runnymede Memorial.
|
