Crew of Halifax JD458
From on-going research by Martin Ellis
This crew might be unusual in that although flying with a Canadian squadron, none of them were Canadians. They came together in Late April 1943, at 24 Operational training Unit, located at RAF Honeybourne, in Warwickshire.
The Pilot
- Flight Sergeant Stanley Pekin AUS/408873 RAAF, was born on 30th December 1918 at Colac, Victoria, Australia. He was the son of Richard John and Eileen Pekin and was married to Rita Pekin (nee Nicholson) of Vite Vite, Victoria, Australia. Most of his family seem to have worked in dairy farming, or milk production. But Stanley was a school teacher before enlisting. He enlisted in the RAAF on 20th June 1941, at Vite Vite North. Most likely, he would have undergone his initial (i.e. ground based) training in Australia. It is then most likely that he would have made a long sea voyage across the pacific, to undergo his flying training in Canada.The Navigator
- Pilot Officer Peter John Sparkes 133774 RAFVR, was the son of John Gordon and Ava Sparkes of Acton, Middlesex (West London). He was commissioned (Probationary) on 21st November 1942 and was the only officer in the crew. He was posted to 24 OTU from 7 Personnel Reception Centre at Harrogate in Yorkshire.7 PRC was basically a holding centre, where personnel returning from training overseas were accommodated, until they moved on to their next phase of training. It is likely that P/O Sparkes had undergone navigator training in Canada, under the British and Commonwealth Air Training Plan. He was promoted to the rank of Flying Officer on 31st May 1943.
The Bomb Aimer
- Sgt John Kevin Gilvary 1512418 RAFVR, was the son on of Michael T and Marian I Gilvary of Bray, County Wicklow, EIRE. The Republic of Ireland remained neutral in WWII. But that didn’t stop thousands of Irishmen crossing the Irish Sea to join the British armed forces, in order to fight the Nazis.The Wireless Operator
- Sgt Henry Price 1310592 RAFVR was the son of John and Edith Alice Price of Palmer’s Green, Middlesex. At present nothing more about him is known.The Air Gunner
- Sgt Earnest Charles Ramm 1539979 RAFVR was the son of John and Rosina Annie Ramm of Hackney, London and was married to Doris Eveline Ramm. He trained at 1 Air Gunners School at RAF Pembrey, on the Gower Peninsula in South Wales. The 1 AGS Operational Record Book does not give a precise date for Earnest’s arrival, but he was part of “66 Air Gunner’s Course” and passed out on 23rd April 1943.No.24 OTU
This five man crew trained on the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk V, making a number of flights to various bombing ranges, and engaging in cross country navigation. It was a particularly difficult time for 24 OTU, as there were a number of flying accidents in this period, in which a number of airmen were killed. F/Sgt Pekin’s crew had their first taste of flying over German held territory on 10th/11th June 1943, with a ‘Nickel’ raid, dropping propaganda leaflets over the Nantes area in France; from which one of their fellow trainee crews failed to return. F/Sgt Pekin and his crew came through unscathed and completed their OTU training.No.1664 HCU
They then progressed to 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Croft, arriving on 26th June. Here they picked up two more crew members.Flight Engineer
- Sgt Herbert Charles Baker 1652940 RAFVR. Known as ‘Bertie’, he was the son of Herbert Charles Baker, who died in May 1921, while serving as a Lance Corporal in C Company – 1st Battalion, The Monmouthshire Regiment. His mother was Claudean Amelia Baker. He was married to Gwen M. Baker and who lived in Newport Monmouthshire. They had a young son. It is likely Sgt Baker was one of the 9 Flight Engineers who reported to 1664 HCU, from training at RAF ST Athan on 25th June 1943.Air Gunner
- Sgt Frederick Peter Davis 183229 RAFVR was the son of Dennis and Nora Davis of Penarth, Glamorgan in South Wales. As with Sgt Ramm, Sgt Davis was trained at 1 AGS at RAF Pembrey.419 Squadron
The Crew trained on the Handley Page Halifax and were then posted to 419 Squadron at Middleton St George – reporting for duty on 17th July 1943.Three days later, the Crew were allocated an aircraft. Built by English Electric at Samlesbury near Preston, Halifax Mk II Series 1 (Special) - JB900, was taken on charge on 30th March 1943 and issued to 419 Squadron with effect from 7th April. It carried the code VR-E and was referred to as “E for Easy” - the phonetic alphabet being different in WWII to that used today. Despite not being 4 months old, E for Easy was a veteran.
It had flown its first operation with 419 Sqn on the night of 14th/15th April when it went to Stuttgart. By the time Stan Pekin’s crew were allocated it, the aircraft had notched up 21 operations, with 6 different crews, but mostly with the crew of Pilot Officer B.F. Heintz. It had had a close shave after nearly colliding with another Halifax, while returning from the raid on Wuppertal on the night of 24th/25th June with P/O Heintz at the controls.
The aircraft even had an aircraft kill to its name when, on the operation to Aachen on 13th/14th July, the rear gunner in Flt Lt W. N. Keddie’s crew shot down a German night fighter. E-Easy was fitted with GEE and also devices known as MONICA and TINSEL. MONICA was a small tail-mounted radar, that gave warning of an approaching night fighter, while TINSEL was a jamming device, which comprised a microphone in one of the engine nacelles, which was linked to the aircraft’s radio transmitter. It allowed the radio operator to broadcast engine noise on the same frequency that the German night fighter controllers were using. E for Easy seems to have suffered from the weight reduction measures inflicted on Merlin powered Halifax’s at the time. Both the front and mid-upper gun turrets had been removed and faired over. This meant that the crew had two Air Gunners, but only one turret! Indications are that they took it in turns to man it.
As most will know, it was common practice in Bomber Command for the pilot of a ‘Freshman’ crew to accompany a more experienced crew on a couple of operations as ‘second pilot’, or ‘second dickie’, before taking their own crew into action. But this nearly didn’t happen with Stan Pekin’s crew, because on 22nd July he and his whole crew found their names as one of the 16 crews on the 419 Sqn battle order for that night! Arthur Harris - C in C Bomber Command, had ordered a ‘Maximum Effort’ in what was supposed to be the first in the series of raids known as ‘The Battle of Hamburg’. The aircraft were bombed up, the crews were briefed and the aircraft were taxiing for takeoff, when the operation was scrubbed, due to weather conditions over the target. Harris ordered the same operation for the following night and once again Stan Pekin and his whole crew were among the 17 crews on the battle order. This time though, the crews were being briefed when the operation was scrubbed – again due to weather over Hamburg.
By the time the weather conditions were conducive to a successful operation to Hamburg, things seem to have reverted to normal. On Saturday 24th July, 11 crews appeared on the 419 Sqn battle order and Stan Pekin was down to fly as second pilot, with OC ‘A Flight’, Sqn Ldr McMurdy and his crew. The rest of Stan’s crew were staying behind. Pekin returned safely and on the following night he was on the battle order again to fly with Sqn Ldr McMurdy. Harris had hoped to follow up the previous night’s raid on Hamburg. But once again, the weather was un-cooperative and so instead, he sent his bombers to Essen in the Ruhr Valley. Once again Stan Pekin returned safely.
There was then a pause for Stan Pekin and his crew, as they were sent off on a ‘Battle Course’ with the RAF Regiment, where they would learn the escape and evasion skills they would need in the event that they survived baling out over enemy held territory. Consequently, they missed the second and third operations of the battle of Hamburg, and the raid on Ramscheid on the night of 30th July. But they were back in time for the fourth and last of the Hamburg raids.
Harris ordered the fourth operation to Hamburg on the night of 2nd/3rd July. Stan Pekin and his crew were one of 16 crews on the battle order. Sgt Ramm was listed as the rear gunner for this operation. Despite doubts about the weather, the decision was made to press on with the operation and crews began taking off at 22:17hrs. Stan Pekin in E-Easy was 7th to take off at 22:30hrs. It is well known that this raid was not a success. As crews neared the German Coast, they flew into severe thunderstorms. Aircraft experienced severe turbulence and icing conditions. Many crews turned back and Stan Pekin’s crew were one of them. They reported being shot up by flack over the German coast, although there is no record of damage to E for Easy. They jettisoned their bombs and returned to Middleton St George, landing at 03:08hrs. One of 419 Sqn’s crews failed to return after being struck by lightning and crashing near Hamburg.
The next trip for Stan Pekin and his crew came on the 9th August, when they were one of 16 crews on the battle order for an operation to Manheim. Taking off at 22:51hrs, Stan Pekin and his crew in E for Easy were the last of the Moosemen into the air. However after crossing the south coast at Beachy Head, the aircraft developed a technical fault. Records are contradictory, but it was either an intercom failure to the rear turret, or a failure of the turret itself. Either way, it wasn’t safe to carry on and so the bombs were ditched in the English Channel and E for Easy returned to base landing at 02:21 hrs.
On 10th August Harris ordered an attack on Nuremburg. Stan Pekin and his crew were one of 16 crews on the battle order. E for Easy took off at 21:22hrs. Just after crossing the French Coast, E for Easy received the attention of a twin engine night fighter. It made two attacks, but failed to hit the bomber. The rear Gunner, Sgt Davis called for evasive action by Stan Pekin and returned fire. The engagement then ended and the fighter wasn’t claimed as destroyed. E for Easy managed to reach Nuremburg and bomb successfully, although at least 3 other 419 Sqn aircraft were hit by flak, but managed to limp back to Great Britain. Only 1 of the 419 Sqn crews made it back to Middleton St George however. Either due to damage of running short of fuel, the others landed at airfields all over the south and midlands of England. Stan Pekin in E for Easy landed at Church Lawford in Warwickshire at 05:28. They flew back to Middleton St George late that afternoon.
On 12th August, Harris ordered another operation. He had for some time been requested to attack cities in northern Italy to put pressure on the Italian government to surrender after Mussolini had been deposed. Some raids to Italian targets had already been carried out before Stan Pekin and his crew had reported for duty with 419Sqn. On this night however Harris ordered a two pronged attack, with one force of bombers attacking Turin, while another attacked Milan at the same time. Stan Pekin and his crew found themselves on the battle order with 14 other crews to attack Milan. They took off at 20:59hrs and successfully reached and bombed the target. They returned safely, but, as with the Nuremburg raid, most had to divert due to lack of fuel. Stan Pekin in E for Easy landed at RAF Dalton at 07:23hrs.
After refuelling, they took off again at 10:30hrs to return to Middleton St George. This would be the last time they flew E for Easy. JB 900 had developed electrical problems and would not fly operationally again. In late August it was allocated to 1666 HCU. Then in October 1944, it passed to 1654 HCU. Finally, it went to 48MU and on 14th December 1944 it was struck off charge and scrapped.
Stan Pekin and his crew were now allocated a new aircraft. JD458 was a brand spanking new Halifax Mk II Series 1A. Like JB900, was built by English Electric at Samlesbury and was issued straight from the factory to 419 Sqn on 6th August 1943. It carried the codes VR-C. Unlike JB900, JD458 was fitted with a Boulton Paul mid-upper turret, meaning that both gunners in the crew could be used.
On 17th August, Stan Pekin and his crew found themselves on the battle order once more. It would be their 5th operation. At the briefing, they and the other 16 419 Sqn crews found they were going to a place they’d never heard of – Peenemünde. They, along with the other 6 group crews, were to take part in the third wave - attacking the research and development works, which was working on the V2 rocket. Stan Pekin and his crew took off at 21:40 hrs and nothing was heard of them again. It is likely that they did reach the target and may well have bombed it successfully. They probably then fell victim to the German night fighters, which arrived as the third wave was approaching the target. Sadly, they were one of three crews lost by 419Sqn that night and there were no survivors from any of the crews.
In the days following the raid, the bodies of Sgt Baker and Sgt Ramm were washed up on Rugen Island, near Peenemunde. They were buried by the Germans at Gross Zicker, on Rugen Island. After the war, they were re-located to the Berlin War Cemetery. Stan Pekin and the rest of his crew were never found. They are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
