419 Squadron RCAF 1941 to 1945 Crew of Halifax JD256

Crew of Halifax JD256

Halifax VR-A was part of ten aircraft of 419 Squadron on a 700 plus aircraft raid to Essen it would be the 20th visit by 419 squadron to this Ruhr valley target.
The crew had had a close call almost exactly one month before when the Hlaifax they were flying on an operation to Wupperthal was it by flak fragments, ripping holes in the fuselage and bomb doors. Sgt. Chapman brought the damaged aircraft back to base.
On this operation to Essen the Halifax was hit in the rear section of the aircraft at the rudder and tail plane the damage caused loss of control of the aircraft and it went into an unrecoverable inverted dive.
There is no information on what hit JD256, whether another aircraft or bombs dropped from a bomber flying above them.
As seen in the report below the Halifax was flying in a thunderhead, and in the darkness of night. The inverted aircraft would have made escaping difficult and those who kept their chutes near them could have been thrown far from thier esacpe hatch and their parachute.
The only information on what happened to JD256 on that night in July 25 /26 1943 comes from the pilot, Sgt. L. Chapman, (promoted to W/O 2 while a POW) who described what happened as follows:

... "After dropping our bombs at about 17, 000 feet, while crossing the target we flew into a thunderhead. While (we were) in there something collided with the tail of the aircraft. The controls were knocked out of my hands and jammed into the forward right-hand position. The aircraft then rolled into an inverted dive from which I was unable to recover. The crew, not having their chute s fastened on, were not able to escape in time. I had a seat pack and made my escape through the (pilot's) hatch above (actually below, as the aircraft was inverted) my head. I bailed out at very low level, swung over on parachute, then touched ground in a suburb of Essen .

The other six members of the crew were unable to successfully escape the aircraft and were killed from the results of the collision to their aircraft. The crew were a very young one, including two 19 year olds, two 20 year olds, they were on their 7th sortie.

A second pilot was also on board, F/0 Handforth, as it happened he was Sgt. Chapman’s instructor while Chapman was learning to fly in Canada.
F/O Handforth, had just arrived seven hours earlier to 419 Squadron from #1664 HCU when he was assigned to Chapman's aircraft to update his instructional skills by flying on a operational mission.

Crew of Halifax JD256

Sergeant

James Stewart RAF

Flight Engineer age 19
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Rothes-On-Spey Morayshire
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Flight Sergeant

Owen Harvey Phoenix

Bomb Aimer age 20
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Regina Saskatchewan
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Flying officer

Stanley Willard Handforth

2nd. Pilot Age 21
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Toronto Ontario
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Flight Sergeant

George William Askew

WAG Age 22
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Cartwright Manitoba
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Flight Sergeant

Walter Eugene Ross

Navigator Age 21
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Toronto Ontario
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Flight Sergeant

Lawrence Merwin Hill

Air Gunner Age 19
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Olive Branch B.C.
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Flight Sergeant

Allan Llyod Porter

Rear Gunner Age 20
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Winnipeg Manitoba
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Sergeant

L. Chapman

Pilot
POW # 1295 at Stalag Luft I and VI and IV

Crew of Halifax JD256

Sergeant

James Stewart RAF

Flight Engineer age 19 Killed in Action July 26 1943 From Rothes-On-Spey Morayshire Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Flight Sergeant

Owen Harvey Phoenix

Bomb Aimer age 20 Killed in Action July 26 1943 From Regina Saskatchewan Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Flying officer

Stanley Willard Handforth

2nd. Pilot Age 21 Killed in Action July 26 1943 From Toronto Ontario Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Flight Sergeant

George William Askew

WAG Age 22 Killed in Action July 26 1943 From Cartwright Manitoba Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Flight Sergeant

Walter Eugene Ross

Navigator Age 21 Killed in Action July 26 1943 From Toronto Ontario Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Flight Sergeant

Lawrence Merwin Hill

Air Gunner Age 19 Killed in Action July 26 1943 From Olive Branch B.C. Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Flight Sergeant

Allan Llyod Porter

Rear Gunner Age 20 Killed in Action July 26 1943 From Winnipeg Manitoba Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Sergeant

L. Chapman

Pilot POW # 1295 at Stalag Luft I and VI and IV

Flight Engineer age 19
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Rothes-On-Spey Morayshire
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Bomb Aimer age 20
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Regina Saskatchewan
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

2nd. Pilot Age 21
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Toronto Ontario
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

WAG Age 22
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Cartwright Manitoba
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Navigator Age 21
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Toronto Ontario
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Air Gunner Age 19
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Olive Branch B.C.
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Rear Gunner Age 20
Killed in Action July 26 1943
From Winnipeg Manitoba
Burial Reichswald Memorial Forest War Cemetery

Pilot
POW # 1295 at Stalag Luft I and VI and IV