The Aircrew of Lancaster III LM 580 DX-L

Silhouette of a Lancaster III Bomber. [Clipart copyright belongs to Dominique Lemaire - see note further down page]

57 Squadron

The Aircrew

Lancaster III LM 580 DX-L

P/O Guilyn "Ginger" Penry Guy RAFVR – Pilot
Sgt. Joe Hatter RAF – Flight Engineer
F/O Victor "Vic" Spalding RAF – Navigator
F/O Douglas "Doug" A Jennings RAF – Air Bomber
Sgt Grenville "Lofty" Hydes RAF – Wireless Operator
Sgt Alan "Al" Applegarth RCAF – Air Gunner Mid Upper
Sgt Eric "Taffy" Raffill RAF – Air Gunner Rear

The Lancaster Bomber took off at 23:07 hours from East Kirkby Airfield in Lincolnshire on the 21st June 1944. Their target was a petrol plant in Wesseling, Germany. Outward bound, they were hit by flak and the aircraft fell near As-en-Campine, some 5 miles from Genk, in Belgium. Six of the crew bailed out. The young pilot, Ginger Guy, tried to maintain control as they did so. Sadly, he did not make it and went down with his aeroplane.

Joe Hatter and Doug Jennings successfully evaded capture and returned to England in September 1944. Vic Spalding was caught and interned in Prisoner of War Camp, Stalag Luft 3; Lofty Hydes, Al Applegarth and Taffy Raffill were caught and interned in Prisoner of War Camp, Stalag Luft 7.

For further information regarding the Wesseling Raid,
visit this page on the 207 Squadron Royal Air Force Association website

In Memory of
Pilot Officer Guilyn Penry Guy †
172461, 57 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve,
who gave his life for his crew.
He died age 22 on 22 June 1944
a wreath of poppies

Dedication of a Tree to the Memory of P/O Ginger Guy
Photograph of ceremony

The above photograph was taken at Doug's 57 Squadron Reunion, 2001, at East Kirkby Airfield in Lincolnshire. Standing from left to right are: Taffy Raffill, Father Le Cras and Doug Jennings.

The silhouette of a Lancaster III Bomber at the top of the page appears courtesy of “LemaireSoft's Encyclopedia of World War II Aircraft”, a very interesting Belgian Website (all in English). I am very grateful to Dominique Lemaire for permission to use this clipart.

Back to Previous Page

Links to Some of My Pages
My Tribute to Marthe Janssen-Leyder \| Commemorative Plaque in her Honour The "Croydon Times" Article of 23rd November 1946
	Marthe's True Stories How I Met Billie Boxton The Escape of Four Russian Officers A Traitor Amongst Us Complete Site Map \| My Home Page My Site Information for Newcomers