419 Squadron RCAF 1941 to 1945 Crew of Halifax DT617

Crew of Halifax DT617

A Forgotten Crew

The crew of Halifax DT617 was made up of both RAF and RCAF airmen, what little is known of them is from combing back and forth through the poorly kept squadron ORBs of that time period.

P/O Boyd -Pilot

The ORB shows both P/O Boyd and F/O Lawry arriving at their posting to 419 squadron on February 17th. Both from HCU No.1659. From the way the entry is entered in the log it appears that they arrived unattached to any crew. P/O Boyd underwent his 2nd. Pilot training on the night of March 8/9 and March 5/6. His first operational flight was on March 12/13 to Essen.
The crew were:
P/O R.W. Lowry as Navigator
Sgt. G.B. Langley B/A
Sgt. L.H.Ransome WAG
Sgt.J.C. Vanner F/E
Sgt. G.A.Hurst M/U Gunner
Sgt.G.W.Agar Rear Gunner
( it should have read B.W. Agar)

P/O Boyd's next operation was on the night of March 28/29 a Gardening operation off St.Nazaire. Two of the crew on the flight had been changed since the previous operation.
F/S R.J.Williams was now Navigator
Sgt. S.N.Hall was now F/E

On Boyd's final operation the crew again were different, with P/O MacDonald taking the place of Sgt. Hurst and F/O Lawry taking the place of Sgt. Williams.

Sgt. MacDonald -Air Gunner

Sgt. Hamish MacDonald had been with 419 squadron since November 22 of 1942. As Upper Mid gunner he flew six operations flying with S/L D.H. Kennedy from January 9th to March 1st. 1943. He then flew three operations with F/L Sells from March 5th to March 13th. His first operation with P/O Boyd was on the night when the crew were lost on April 3rd.

F/O Lawry - Navigator

F/O Lawry had been posted to 419 squadron from No.1659 HCU same day as P/O Boyd. Neither seem to have been part of any crew. Lawry had flown on two previous operations one on the night of March 5/6 with F/L Sells. The same operation that Sgt. MacDonald was M/U gunner. Then the two were also with Sells on the night of March 9/10. F/O Lawry's next operation was with P/O Boyd on the April 3rd raid.

A Trail of Mix-ups

The only trace of the other members of the crew, Sgt. Hill, Sgt.Langley, Sgt. Ransome and Sgt. Agar is that they had flown with Boyd on his only two other operations. The turn over in Boyd's crew seems to be related to personnel being sent back to HCU in one case and no trace of what happened to the others who had flow with Boyd.
As if the lack of information on these men who lost their lives was not enough to be frustrating, the lack of any mention of their loss in the April ORB summary seems sad. One other Halifax was lost on this operation to Essen and is detailed fully.
Although if by chance you were to review March's ORB summary, the loss of this crew is mentioned. And is stated that they were lost on the March 28/29 raid on St. Nazaire. Wrong date, wrong target, it also states that eight aircraft were on the raid, only five are recorded only three got as far as Essen. Not a great deal of respect shown for these men by their own squadron record keepers.

Loss of DT617

What little that is known about what happened to the crew and Halifax, surfaced in the files of the Luftwaffe. The Halifax had taken off from Middleton St. George at 19:52 according to the squadron log. A night fighter of III/NJGI claimed the aircraft at 23:50 hours over Holland. The time suggests that they had made it to the target and were close to returning to base. The other two aircraft who had successfully carried out the attack had returned to base shortly after midnight, ten to fifteen minutes after DT617 was shot down. DT617 was one of the three aircraft that had continued on to the target, after two other 419 aircraft in the raid returned early.
The aircraft came down at Durr 12 km NNW of Daventer Holland.

Crew of Halifax DT617

A Forgotten Crew

P/O Boyd -Pilot

Sgt. MacDonald -Air Gunner

F/O Lawry - Navigator

A Trail of Mix-ups

Loss of DT617

Sergeant

Beverley William Agar

Rear Gunner
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
From Provost Alberta
Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Pilot Officer

Peter Delamere Boyd

Pilot Age 22
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
From Heswall Cheshire
Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Pilot Officer

Hamish Turner MacDonald RAF

Air Gunner
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Sergeant

Serbert Norman Hall

Flight Engineer Age 22
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
From Orono Ontario
Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Flying Officer

Gordon Williams Lawry

Navigator age 22
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
From Timmins Ontario
Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Sergeant

John Birkett Langley RAF

Bomb Aimer age 19
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
From Low Fell, County Durham Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Sergeant

Laurence Henry Ransome RAF

WAG age 23.
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
From Manningham, Bradford, Yorkshire
Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Crew of Halifax DT617

A Forgotten Crew

P/O Boyd -Pilot

Sgt. MacDonald -Air Gunner

F/O Lawry - Navigator

A Trail of Mix-ups

Loss of DT617

Sergeant

Beverley William Agar

Rear Gunner Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943 From Provost Alberta Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Pilot Officer

Peter Delamere Boyd

Pilot Age 22 Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943 From Heswall Cheshire Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Pilot Officer

Hamish Turner MacDonald RAF

Air GunnerKilled in Action April 3rd, 1943 Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Sergeant

Serbert Norman Hall

Flight Engineer Age 22 Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943 From Orono Ontario Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Flying Officer

Gordon Williams Lawry

Navigator age 22Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943 From Timmins Ontario Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Sergeant

John Birkett Langley RAF

Bomb Aimer age 19Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943 From Low Fell, County Durham Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Sergeant

Laurence Henry Ransome RAF

WAG age 23.Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943 From Manningham, Bradford, Yorkshire Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Rear Gunner
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
From Provost Alberta
Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Pilot Age 22
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
From Heswall Cheshire
Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Air Gunner
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Flight Engineer Age 22
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
From Orono Ontario
Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Navigator age 22
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
From Timmins Ontario
Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

Bomb Aimer age 19
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
From Low Fell, County Durham Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland

WAG age 23.
Killed in Action April 3rd, 1943
From Manningham, Bradford, Yorkshire
Burial Olst (Durr) General Cemetery, Holland