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Hi,

I originally published this on the Derbyshire board, but information I found out there has prompted me to think this is a better place for it.

I am researching the loss of Stirling Bomber, LK383 of 149 Squadron, Methwold, of which Douglas Alan Moore Adams was the pilot. The plane was lost without trace on a mission to Brest in France on the night of 6/7 August 1944. My uncle, John Adolphe Prior was the navigator, hence my interest.

As part of my research into the crash, I am trying to trace the other crew members. Douglas Alan Moore Adams, aged 30, is described as being the husband of Maud Elizabeth Adams of Derby. We believe her maiden name was White, and that they married in Surrey in the last quarter of 1941. Doug Adam's service number is 173518 and he is commemorated with the rest of the crew on the Runnymede Memorial.

Can anyone at the UK end give me more information about Doug or his family, past or present? I am particularly interested in finding out more about him, as my uncle's log book indicates that they met during training and appear to have hit it off. I suspect a friendship between them may have formed the nucleus of the crew that went down with the plane in 1944.

A website is being set up about this lost plane, initially in French, but I am considering an English one. This was the last Stirling bomber to be lost on a bombing operation during World War II, as the plane was in the process of being phased out.

I've attached a photo to the Derbyshire version of this post, which you can find here, along with a lot more information.

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,325903.0.html

My uncle is the tall man at the far left. I am not sure if Doug Adams is one of the others, but suspect he may possibly be the man immediately to my uncle's right.

You can see the website about the Stirling here. If you can read French, it does provide quite a lot of additional information:
http://www.absa39-45.asso.fr/Pertes%20Bretagne/Finistere/7%20aout%201944/7_aout_44.htm


Thanks for your help and interest in reading this,

Natalie

Nanny Jan,

Thank you for kindly offering to look up RAF missions in your father's book. Could I beg you to see if there is anything about my late Uncle John Prior's final mission to lay mines in the harbour at Brest. He flew in Stirling LK383 OJ-A (149 Squadron) out of Methwold, leaving at 9.01pm on Saturday 6th August (he was listed as killed on 7th August). I believe there were 12 planes on the mission. His was the only one lost. I am told that 48 mines were laid in Brest harbour that night--it was a big submarine base, and the RAF had attacked it the previous night with Tallboy bombs.

There may not be any more information, but worth a try. Uncle John flew on four previous missions, so if we have any luck, I might ask you to look those up too.

Thank you so much for your offer,

Natalie

I am researching the loss of Stirling Bomber, LK383 of 149 Squadron, Methwold, which was lost without trace on a mission to Brest in France on the night of 6/7 August 1944. My uncle, John Adolphe Prior was the navigator. The reason I am writing to this thread is that I am trying to trace the other crew members. One of them was a man called John Edward Ashfield Cuthbert, aged 23, described as being the husband of J.M. Cuthbert, and son of Edward and M. Cuthbert, of Stroud. His service number is 1315283 and he is commemorated with the rest of the crew on the Runnymede Memorial.

Can anyone at the UK end give me more information about John Cuthbert or his family, and especially, suggest if there might be any living relatives? A website is being set up about this plane, initially in French, but I am considering an English one. This was the last Stirling bomber to be lost on a bombing operation during World War II, as the plane was in the process of being phased out.

You can see the website here. If you can read French, it does provide quite a lot of additional information:
http://www.absa39-45.asso.fr/Pertes%20Bretagne/Finistere/7%20aout%201944/7_aout_44.htm

Also, a picture is attached, which I think may be of the crew. My uncle is the very tall fellow on the far left. I am not sure if John Cuthbert is one of the others but he may well be.

I am researching the loss of Stirling Bomber, LK383 of 149 Squadron, Methwold, which was lost without trace on a mission to Brest in France on the night of 6/7 August 1944. My uncle, John Adolphe Prior was the navigator. The reason I am writing to this thread is that I am trying to trace the other crew members. One of them was a man called Leslie Harry Mercer, aged 38, described as being the husband of D.M. Mercer of Tunbridge Wells. His service number is 1897326 and he is commemmorated with the rest of the crew on the Runnymede Memorial.

Can anyone at the UK end give me more information about Leslie or his family, and especially, suggest if there might be any living relatives? A website is being set up about Leslie Mercer's plane, initially in French, but I am considering an English one. This was the last Stirling bomber to be lost on a bombing operation during World War II, as the plane was in the process of being phased out.

You can see the website here. If you can read French, it does provide quite a lot of additional information:
http://www.absa39-45.asso.fr/Pertes%20Bretagne/Finistere/7%20aout%201944/7_aout_44.htm

Also, a picture is attached, which I think may be of the crew. My uncle is the very tall fellow on the far left. I suspect Leslie Mercer may be the older looking man second from the right.