Can we identify this airman?

[Flakdodger]

Just to update you all, the auctioneers have provided some detail.
From Mr Taylor's notes, actual loss date was 22 Aug 44 and crash seems to be north of Zomba.
There is also a verse that talks of waiting at the runway, loaded with target markers and flares.
Suspicision is moving away from SOE ops to Path Finding, which in that theatre of war was provided by 614 Squadron. There is a 614 loss that night, and further research is underway to verify the crew. A job for a visit to Kew to check the Squadron diaries. 2009 is young - wonder if I will make it!
Dave

[scrimnet]

Ahhhh!

Pathfinders!!

A favourite of my childhood with an excellent theme tune!

[David Layne]

Mullock's have it listed.

Historical Document - Lot Number 172 - Auction Date 29/01/09
 
 
WWII - Prisoner of War the diary of E Taylor a crew member of a Lancaster Bomber recording his experiences after his Bomber crashed in Hungary while on a raid aimed at Berlin in 1944 written in pencil on 15pp 8vo in a YMCA produced Wartime Log for British Prisoners. There are two further pages in ink recording the words of two songs sung by Bomber Crews and a few press cuttings affixed to further pages. A particularly interesting book. Although not of great length Taylor nevertheless provides a vivid picture of what it was like for downed RAF personnel behind enemy lines : '...we were in a small dirty cell that was alive with bugs and I was bitten badly...we were greeted by mobs of people that were very infuriated at us and we did not feel too happy. We were marched to the military barracks where we stayed for a while. We then departed by lorry for the jail. This jail was our accommodation for the next seven days our food had been bad until now but it was undrinkable here...' Eventually Taylor was sent to the notorious Luft 3 - scene of the two most famous escape attempts of the whole of WWII - the legendary 'Great Escape' and also the 'Trojan Horse' escape attempt. Taylor provides both a description of the camp but also includes two well executed illustrations - the first showing part of the camp itself showing huts and the perimeter fence and the second showing the sleeping arrangement of the prisoners. Another illustration shows a well executed map of the route of his Bomber and where it crash landed.

Historical Document - Lot Number 173 - Auction Date 29/01/09
 
 
WWII - a finely crafted model of a Halifax Bomber made by crewmember E Taylor (see previous lot) during his time in the notorious Stalag Luft 3 Taylor has used materials available to him in order to produce a model which by anyone's standards is very good.

Price £200 to £400.

 

[Flakdodger]

Bit of a breakthrough. I traced a surviving pilot of 614 Squadron out in Australia. Whilst he does not have recall of our man, his records list Mr Taylor (or Tayler) as a Flight Engineer on a crew that were lost on the night of 22/23 August 1944, all became POWs. Target was the rail yards at Miskolc, Hungary. 614 lost three aircraft that night.
Armed with this, us boyos on the rafcommands forum are sharpening our pencils.
Dave 

[scrimnet]

Blimey I bet you are mate!!

VERY few to go through now then!!

Excellent.....

[Flakdodger]

Pencils sharpened and Snickers Bars gobbled, we now know that Warrant Officer E J Taylor (we do not know his forenames) was the flight engineer on board Halifax JP109, dispatched on the night of 22/23 Aug 1944 for an attack on the rail yards at Miskolc (northern Hungary), from their base at Amendola, Italy.
All seven crew members departed the blazing bomber by parachute and became POWs.
I guess it will be nice to trace him in civvy street. his pilot, Walter Carrington makes interesting Googling.
Dave

[David Layne]

Apparently the model Halifax sold for £900.00. The squadron letters on the model were RK which designated a 10 OTU aircraft.

The diary sold for £440.00 which to me seems cheap.

[Flakdodger]

David
Thanks for the heads up.
Dave

[David Layne]

David
Thanks for the heads up.
Dave

I thought that perhaps you were the successful bidder!