207 SQUADRON ROYAL AIR FORCE HISTORY
Crew of Lancaster EM-V DV361,
Brigstock, nr. Oundle, Peterborough
| On 22nd December 1943
Lancaster DV361 set off on a cross country test flight,
piloted by P/O GA Baker (not Bill Baker who was the
pilot who brought it back when it was in a collision on the
Berlin raid of 18/19 November 1943 - see
below). There was an engine fire which could not be extinguished and the crew were ordered to bale out. Sadly, three of the crew were killed. They are commemorated by this striking memorial, close to the crash site on the Duke of Gloucester's estate. It was erected with the permission of the Duke and by the effort of members of the community. It was unveiled on September 16th 1998 by Sqn Ldr John Mitchell DFC, who was Signals Leader on 207 Sqn at RAF Spilsby at the time of the crash. The BBMF Lancaster, Hurricane and a Spitfire did a fly past. Those of the crew who survived this crash were later killed in action. The three who were killed on 22nd December 1944 are named on the steel plaque: F/Sgt Cecil Ryall, WOp/AG, RAAF
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 source: Glynne-Owen |
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Berlin collision
Lancaster DV361 EM-V was often the aircraft of Bill Baker's crew, as can be seen from the logbook pages below.
On the night of 18/19 November 1943, during a raid on Berlin, they collided with Lancaster WS-Z, ED871 P/O Frank Lees, from 9 Sqn at Bardney.
DV361 suffered severe damage to the nose and port propellors. Baker's bomb aimer, F/Sgt Jim Shimield, fell to his death when the forward escape hatch was lost.
Ironically, the crew of the 9 Squadron Lancaster that night included Alec Cordon from 207 Squadron. Sgt LN Harris, their Rear Gunner, was killed and the rest of the WS-Z crew baled out and became POWs.
Bill Baker flew his crippled DV361 back to Spilsby on three engines, suffering severe frostbite. He was awarded an immediate DFC. The aircraft was repaired at Spilsby[?].
The extensive damage to DV361 is evident from these photos. The notation on the one on the right E Kir suggests it might have been taken at East Kirkby, Spilsby's 55 Base Station
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These photos were provided by Peter Gedling, son of the Navigator in Bill Baker's crew. He writes [Nov 2017]:
Dad told me that when they were due to board their Lanc for their first op he said he needed to go to the toilet and the crew said there was no time to go back so he relieved himself on one of the undercarriage wheels! They got back in one piece, so every op after that his crew said he had to pee on the wheel before take off - it seemed to work for them! [this ritual was not unheard of in the RAF: the tail wheel seems to have been favoured.]
Most of his training and all his operational flights were with Bill Baker, who I met sometime in the 1960s when he visited my Dad from America. I notice [in Dad's logbook] that he is described as Sgt Baker up to 18th July 1943, the last entry for that month, then on 2nd August he is P/O Baker.
I knew about the mid-air collision over Berlin. My Dad recounted that when they encountered searchlights, usually as they approached the target area, the pilots would take evasive action. His description of the event was, ‘we were 'zigging and zagging' but the other plane was 'zagging and zigging’!
He was always a keen photographer and took photos of the damage (which he wasn’t supposed to!) which I have. That was the last operational flight in the log book - he was hospitalised with frostbite - other than the last entry on Sept 5th 1944 with 1660 Conversion Unit flying a Stirling at Acklington.
He was born and brought up in South Shields (as I was) and his discharge certificate shows he enlisted 10th April 1941 and was discharged 12th December 1944 as ‘physically unfit for air force service’ as he was in a sanatorium suffering from TB. Then my brother was born in March 1948 and me in Aug 1950. Dad died in 1986.
The award of his Distinguished Flying Medal was reported the local newspaper [note: Bill Baker was the pilot, not Peter Gedling]:
SHIELDS PILOT FROZE AT CONTROLS
GOT BOMBER HOME
The official citation of the award states “This airman in many sorties against heavily defended German targets has displayed courage and skill. In October 1943 he was navigator of an aircraft detailed for an attack on Berlin. Shortly before reaching the target the aircraft was severely damaged. The rush of air through the broken front and intense cold caused Sergeant Gedling's fingers to become frostbitten. Nevertheless he wrapped a sweater around his hands and continued his allotted task until the English coast was safely reached. The courage and fortitude displayed by this airman during the arduous flight greatly contributed to the safe return of his aircraft."
