Lancaster JA-682

This year I was fortunate enough to obtain a Second World War uniform belonging to Warrant Officer Herbert Graham. Graham grew up in Canada, before moving to Essex in England. At the outbreak of World War Two in 1939, he joined the RAF and served as an aerial gunner aboard Lancaster bombers. The uniform was accompanied by a written statement from Graham, detailing his service during the war. On Friday, 13 August, 1943, his Lancaster was badly damaged over a target in Milan, Italy, and was forced to crash land on the homeward journey around Fours, France. While Graham writes about his own experience of evading capture and eventually making it to Switzerland and ultimately back to England, little is mentioned of the remainder of the crew. He notes some were wounded and subsequently captured. However, after some digging, I was able to gain a better understanding of the crew and circumstances surrounding the ill-fated bombing mission.

Records show that, of the crew of eight, four were captured, three became evaders and escaped, and one was killed. Traditionally, a Lancaster boasted a crew of seven men, however on this particular mission, Graham’s bomber was carrying Squadron Leader Myers, the gunnery leader of No. 7 Squadron. In the official report on the action published a day later, it is noted that this was the second time in a short period that a gunnery leader had been downed, and that the loss of the entire crew was especially hard as they were all experienced airmen.

For Graham, this was his 42nd mission, an impressive tally given the mortality of many RAF airmen. He had completed his first tour of 30 missions, and was on his way to completing a second tour of 20 more. During his service he took part in the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck in the North Sea, a famous maritime episode of the Second World War which resulted in the sinking of the ship. Bismarck was the first of two new battleships designed to give Germany an advantage over the dominant Royal Navy. After initially wreaking havoc on her first mission and sinking the British HMS Hood, a relentless hunt ensued as both ships and aircraft tracked Bismarck, gradually damaging her until her crew was forced to scuttle the ship off the French coast. Graham's recollections are extremely insightful into his career, which was eventful to say the least. After evading capture, which included numerous run-ins with the German occupiers of France, he finally made it to safety and continued to serve in the RAF until the conclusion of the war.

The man who perished was named Eric Gordon Sheil. He was just 20 years old on 13 August, when he perished. He is buried in Fours Cemetery, the only allied airmen there. I hope to someday visit Fours and locate the original crash site as well as Sheil's headstone. Sheil was originally from Edinburgh, and had enlisted in the RAF early in the war. He left behind his wife Mary and parents William and Dorothy. He was just one of many who did not see the end of the war, and died well before his time. Lest We Forget

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