153 Squadron, Lancaster Bomber & Air Crew

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I have acquired these photos and thought I would share them, so that if people Google the squadron they will be brought here.
Carol

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...and the other one, not in great condition but thought I would share it anyway.
Carol

[Ad van Zantvoort]

second photo is made at Elsham Wolds home of 103 and 576 Sqdns. The man on the left was a very good friend of ours. F/Sgt Jack Spark (W.Op) with his crew. The photo is made just before a Ops to Berlin 24th March 1944. If you would like know more please ask.

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Thank you so much for your response and for the information provided. It is much appreciated.
Carol

[Ad van Zantvoort]

Lancaster ND572, M-Mother at Elsham Wolds,Lincs.  From left to Right Jack Spark, Ron Walker (Nav.RCAF), Norman Barker(Ba,RCAF), Arthur Richardson(FE), Fred Brownings (Pilot), Ken Smart(Midupper gunner) and Ronald Thomas (reargunner).  As said this photo was taken in the morning of 24th March 1944 just before the Ops to Berlin. At the target area their Lancaster was shot up by nightfighters which killed the reargunner Bob Thomas.  They gladly made it back to England, and crashlanded at Dunsfold airfield. At the airfield there was a US B17 "standing in their way", crashlanded a day before, and caused an collision. Jack Spark received a DFM and was later commisioned.

[Hornchurch]

I have acquired these photos and thought I would share them,
Carol

'

Carol ; I've just spent the (rainy) morning & lunchtime "researching" your initial opening Avro Lancaster photograph, which, hitherto, had remained "unidentified" on this site & thread.

As ya probably know by now (having communicated with you on your Vickers Wellington thread, elsewhere), I've been a lifelong 'fan' of RAF Bomber Command & the USAAF's 8th/9th Air Forces.

I fell "in love" with the image you posted (it's sharp, crisp), so decided to go looking (for it's I.D)

I've made a bit of a hash of keeping it concise (elsewhere, on another thread  ), but I was "trying" to juggle with about 8-to-9 open windows, collating as much info' "about her" as I could

We men, older men, tend to refer to living breathing machines as "Her" - whether it's an E-Type Jag', a Boeing B.17, or an old Steam Locomotive - I can't be doing with all these "Pronouns" = "They", "Them" or whatever year 2023 machines "identify" as today   

Anyways, to keep it (far) more concise,. here, the following

1, =  Her serial number is  "NG500"

2,  =  She was based at RAF Scampton - That same base "in the news" for all the wrong reasons, in 2023 

3,  =  Her Fuselage Squadron codes were "P4-V" - These ARE the LARGE Dull Red I.D letters of the aircraft

4,  =   Perhaps "her" claim to fame, is that not only "she" survived the war - scrapped in 1947

5,  =   One of NG500 / "P4-V"s crew was, for one night in 1945 "a stowaway"  (highly illicit !)

Many RAF Bomber Command crew were shot-down & even "beaten to death" by German civilians**

It happened to a 214 Sqdn crew in Pforzheim (1945) and also an American B.24 crew, based only a few miles down the road from where I'm typing this (!). As of 2009 there was even You Tube video of one of the Nazi perpetrators of the crime being hung, for murdering the crew of "Wham Bam Thank You M'am" from North Pickenham, near Swaffham, Norfolk - (A raid on the Opel car/truck Factory).

6, =  Ironically, the "stowaway" who luckily returned to RAF Scampton & did NOT suffer the fate of those two local crews I've mentioned above, was a Woman - To be precise, "A WAAF"

Iris Price was the Bomb Aimer's romantic girlfriend & he rather stupidly challenged her, Iris, to "a dare" - To go on board a full bombing raid "over the Ruhr" - It turned out to be a raid on a German oil refinery, at Geilienkirchen

Anyways, it took place on board NG500 aka "P4-V" which is THE Lancaster you posted !!!!!

Amazingly, 51 years later, her "RAF Crew Bus Driver", Doris, "grassed her up" to Cilla Black - causing both women AND also "P4-V"s Bomb Aimer, Jim Vollens to appear on an episode of the once famous BBC prime night time television program during April 1996  !!!!!!

I'll post a photo' of "P4-V" with her FULL crew at the end of their 30 mission "tour", taken at RAF Scampton along with Iris Price in amongst them (!)  I've highlighted Iris gently, in Red

I'll also include a link to the Canadian PDF file, which related the story- (which I linked, once I'd found out NG500's identity), as it has photo's of Iris, Doris & Jim circa April 1996, plus the full S.P (story)

     https://www.warplane.com/documents/Flightlines-March-2018.pdf 

For those interested in reading the PDF file, it's pages 8, 9 and 10 that you want.....

I found the whole trip (my basic researching THIS actual plane, NG500 / "P4-V" ), to be pretty mindblowing - Not just the "Iris, WAAF stowaway" thing amazing, but also the "51 Years Later" & Cilla Black program appearance in April 1996

Full "Series 12" of I.T.V's "Surprise, Surprise" is actually available over on You Tube & initially, I thought I'd struck Gold, but alas, it was NOT to be and it turns out that the episode WE need, is just inside "Series 13"

Anyways ; Glad to see the crew(s) of "P4-V" survived the war, Iris & Doris too.

Found out (sadly) that Doris (dispersal pan Bus crew driver, in on "the secret" in 1945), later died some time after the Cilla Black T.V appearance, thru Tuberculosis, bless her.

Had "P4-V" been shot-down during her trip to Geilenkirchen during 1945 , Iris wouldn't have found her "derring-do" trip such a Jolly - Given what happened to the 1945 Boeing B.17 "100-Group" crew from 214 Sqdn on the Pforzheim raid, Iris most certainly got away with pushing her 'luck'

The German citizens of Pforzheim sought to make amends with a large wooden rocking-horse...some 50+ years later....

The Russelheim B.24 (North Pickenham) crew got THEIR faces immortalised in stone, in the town

Iris pushed her luck & struck it lucky - Her B/f would've been on a charge !!

Great initial post & superlative photograph of NG500 "P4-V" Carol !!!!   Thanks for posting it

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Thankyou so much Hornchurch for your informative response. It makes very interesting reading.
Very much appreciated.
Carol