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MEN BEHIND THE MEDALS LIONEL COLES

Hampden, which carried a crew

of four: pilot, navigator, WOP/AG

and an air gunner. The navigator

was usually a recently qualified

pilot who flew some eight or nine

‘ops’ in the role before getting

his own crew. Both gunners were

qualified as WOPs and usually

alternated duties, the one on the

wireless manning the twin 0.

Vickers gas-operated machine

guns in the rear and the other in

the claustrophobic turret in the

underside of the rear fuselage.

Crewed up

In July, Coles moved a few miles

up the road to Lindholme to

join 408 Squadron, Royal

Canadian Air Force,

which had just formed.

Two weeks later the

unit moved to its

wartime base at

Syerston, Notts.

Initially, he was

crewed with one

of the flight

commanders,

Flt Lt Arthur

Clayton DFC.

Raids began

on the night

of August

11/12 when

the marshalling

yards at Hannover

were the target.

On this sortie, Coles

was the air gunner in

Clayton’s aircraft on

the eight-hour flight.

It is remarkable that

Coles still had less

than 100 flying

hours in his

logbook.

A few days

later, he teamed

up with Sgt

Des Bradley, a New

Zealander, and on

August 27 they

flew their first ‘op’

together, dropping

mines off the

Frisian Islands. A

‘Gardening’ sortie, as

mine-laying was called, was often

given to a new crew to acquaint

them with operational procedures.

A few nights later came a long

flight to Frankfurt, with Coles in

the WOP’s seat, and in September

he took part on three daylight

‘Circus’ sorties to northern France,

each escorted by Spitfires. On

the 29th, the squadron sent two

Hampdens loaded with bombs to

Hamburg docks where the cruiser

Admiral Scheer had arrived at

the Blohm und Voss shipyard

for repairs. Despite severe

icing, Coles’ aircraft pressed on,

identifying the dockyard and

attacking amid heavy flak.

During October the

crew’s objective was

Saarbrücken and

Cologne when

their aircraft was

damaged by flak,

receiving 12 holes

in the wings and

fuselage. On

the 16th they

experienced

engine trouble

and, unable to

climb, turned for

home, dropping

their bombs on a

searchlight near

the Zuider Zee.

Only

survivor

At 18:14 on October 20

the Bradley crew took

off from Syerston in

P1212 on their ninth

operation. They were

one of 153 aircraft

tasked to attack two

aiming points in the

marshalling yards

at Bremen, 82

Hampdens making

up the majority of the

force. They successfully

dropped their load of

two 500lb, two 250lb

and two small bomb

containers.

The return was

uneventful until four

miles north of Coningsby at

00:45 when the starboard engine

failed due to fuel starvation.

The Hampden stalled and,

before Bradley could complete

the recovery, it crashed on the

northern edge of the small village

of Haltham. Coles was the only

survivor, suffering a broken neck,

burns and severe concussion.

Air raid wardens Ernest Basley

and Herbert Whaler were soon

on the scene and pulled Coles

from the wreckage, administering

first aid before he was taken to a

nearby cottage where a woman

tended his lacerations and burns.

An ambulance arrived and he was

taken to Coningsby before being

transferred to the RAF hospital at

Rauceby, near Sleaford.

The loss of P1212 was the first

suffered by 408 Squadron since

its formation a few months earlier.

Des Bradley (22) and Canadian

Alex McMillan (24) were buried at

Newark and the air gunner, Bob

Stansfield, was taken home to be

buried in Blackpool.

Change to ‘Lancs’

It was nine months before Coles was

sufficiently fit to return to flying

duties. In late September

1942 he arrived at

Swinderby to

Sgt Lionel Coles,

aged 19, in 1941.

Change to ‘Lancs’

It was nine months before Coles was

sufficiently fit to return to flying

duties. In late September

1942 he arrived at

Swinderby to

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