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Stirling I W7514 crashed near Kravlund 26/4-1942.
The aircraft belonged to RAF 15 Sqn. and was coded LS-B.
T/O 21:50 Wyton. OP: Rostock.
Outbound flying over Jylland W7514 was attacked by a Bf 110C-2 of 5./NJG 3.
Wop/Air Gnr. Sgt. David J. East was killed during the attack and Wop/Air Gnr.
Sgt. Gordon H. Surridge was severely wounded by being hit in the lower abdomen
and in a leg. A fire started in one wing and it was necessary to abandon the
Stirling which exploded in the air and fell to the ground near Kravlund at 01:15
hours.
Surridge landed by parachute at a farm at Pebersmark belonging to Farmer
Andreas Andersen and was by ambulance taken to the hospital in Tønder at 05:30.
He died from his wounds at 10:15 the day after and was at 07:00 hours on 2/5
laid to rest in Aabenraa cemetery together with East, whose body had been
retrieved from the wreck. The German Field priest from Flensburg performed the
graveside ceremony.
(Landsarkivet for Sdr. Jylland)
The funeral of East and Surridge
Navigator P/O Allan H.H. Young landed near Lille Jyndevad and made contact with
Labourer Christensen. Young had been hit twice in his right leg by machine gun
bullets and was taken by ambulance to Tønder hospital during the night.
Pilot F/O J.E.M. Conran who had twisted a leg upon landing and Wop Sgt Ronald
R. Lawson who was unhurt, was found near Rens by the Danish Police.
(Justine Hadden)
Pilot P/O Allan B. Bateman
Pilot P/O
Allan B. Bateman who had been hit by a bullet in one toe chose to give himself
up at Pebersmark border control. He was picked up by the Danish Police and
brought to Tønder. They were all handed over to the German Wehrmacht at Tønder
Barracks.
Sgt Ronald A.J. Skinner and Sgt Raymond T. Stephen landed just south of the
Danish-German border and stayed at large until 28/4 at 02:15 when they were
arrested by the Danish police on a farm belonging to Farmer Wilhelm Nicolajsen,
Svinborg near Øster Højst. They had come to the farm at 02:00 and asked for food
and a place to sleep. They were given food, and showed to the stable to sleep.
The police took them to Tønder and at 08:45 handed over to the Wehrmacht at
Tønder Barracks.
From Tønder they were sent to Germany to the POW camps. Conran was sent to
Stalag Luft I Barth and later to Stalag Luft III Sagan while Lawson, Skinner ,
Young and Stephen were sent to Stalag Luft III Sagan. Skinner and Stephen later
transferred to Stalag Luft VI Heydekrug. On 29/7-44 Stephen died in Stalag Luft
IV Gross Tychow when being struck by a lightning.
Bateman was sent to Stalag IXC Mühlhausen and later to Stalag Luft III Sagan.
(Jørgen Jørgensen)
Sources: LBUK, RL 19/454, AS 71-87, T501, UA, Police report, OLCB.
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