Crew of Lancaster KB769
"an Easy Time"
This is how the survivor of F/L Tedford's crew remembers the first fourteen sorties the crew flew together during
the interview I had with
James Eddy. Was it really an "easy time" or just the way many veterans shrug off what they went through.
I did ask a number of times again over the course of our phone calls. His answer was simply something along the lines of
easy , nothing special and similar phrases. So for sure we will never really know.The Operations Record Book also does not mention anything special. But that in many cases is not true, things that placed the crews in peril are often not shown in the ORB. So again we are left with no glimpse of the crews other sorties.
All that can be seen is that from their first operation on October 30/31 1944 the crew flew many sorties the majority of which were operations over Germany.
January 14/15 1945 - Merseburg
All of what occurred on that night is from the report made by Eddy, months later after his Liberation.Lancaster VR-I, KB769 had completed it's mission and heading back to base when it was attacked from underneath by a night fighter which had not been observed by the crew.
The shell hits immediately set the aircraft on fire. Tedford ordered the bail out. All Eddy can remember is removing his headset and putting on his parachute before the aircraft went completely out of control. The actions of the falling aircraft was throwing the crew around inside the fuselage. The perspex bulge blew out and Eddy managed to scramble to the opening with great difficulty and climb out.
That was all he would observe of the loss of his fellow crew members. The completion of his story and capture is located at the webpage James Eddy
More information on P/O Rumball is on webpageP/O Rumball
My Thanks to Mr. Eddy for sharing his photos for us to present.
KB769 was one of two Lancaster crews lost on that night. KB799
was also brought down, with the loss of the captain F/O Roger Vatne.
