P/O Edward Argent - 9 Squadron

Pilot Officer Edward Argent - 9 Squadron

Pilot Officer Edward Argent - RAFVR

Pilot Officer Edward Argent was piloting Lancaster III ED721 coded WS-S on January 14/15 1944, when it left Bardney at 1642hrs for an op to bomb Braunschweig. The aircraft crashed at Bartolfelde, five of the seven men aboard were killed, including P/O Edward Argent.

The crew consisted of:

Name	Service	Trade	Hometown	Age
P/O Edward Argent	RAFVR	Pilot	Middlesex	20
Sgt W.Lyons - POW	RAFVR	Flight Engineer	-	-
F/O Frederick Forshew	RAFVR	Navigator	Strood,Kent	23
Sgt H.T.Jolliffe - POW	RAFVR	Bomb Aimer	-	-
Sgt George Fradley	RAFVR	W/Op/AG	-	-
F/Sgt Alfred Trevena	RAAF	Air Gunner	Victoria, Australia	23
F/Sgt David Powley	RCAF	Air Gunner	Burnaby, British Columbia	34

Pilot Officer Edward Argent RAFVR aged 20 was the son of Herbert James and Ellen Argent of St.Margarets, Middlesex. Although unmarried at the time of his death, he is believed to have had a Canadian girlfriend who he met while training in Canada and whose family kept in touch with his sister after the war.

The crew who died were originally buried 7km W of Bad Sachsa on January the 17^th, their bodies were later re-interred in the Hanover War Cemetery.

Four members of this crew had only just resumed operational flying following a traumatic ditching returning from Frankfurt on 20/21^st of December 1943 in Lancaster ED700 which was shot up by a night-fighter and after running out of fuel ,ditched in the North Sea. After several hours in a dinghy, they were rescued by a ASR launch and taken to Great Yarmouth.

Photos courtesy of Peter Argent, research by Linda Ibrom.