Achiet-Le-Petit, Lancaster LL836

Further to my post about the Lancaster Crew at Grevillers, the very first time I came across such a thing was during our 2008 trip to The Somme Battlefields, on one of our momentously long walks we walked through a little village called Achiet-Le-Petit when we noticed on the outskirts of the village a Commonwealth Wargraves Commision sign at the entrance to the local communal cemetery, we walked into see what was there, and against the far hedge was a row of seven Commonwealth Wargraves Commision headstones all RAF and all having died on the same day, the assumption at the time was it was either a Lancaster, Halifax or a Stirling Crew.

On getting home to the UK a look at my Bomber Command Losses 1939-1945 CD Rom and a hunt round the internet yielded all the information you could wish for, the men all belonged to Lancaster Mk1, LL836, of 550 Squadron flying out of North Killingholme, Lincolnshire, which was shot down on the way to bomb Aulnoye, France on the night of 11th April 1944.

Burial details:

Pilot Officer .William ESSAR Royal Canadian Air Force

Sgt. Thomas Henry GUEST. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Flying Officer John James LOGAN, D.F.C. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, aged 26. Son of George Charles and Janet Georgina Logan of Penicuik, Midlothian

Flight Lieut. Richard William PICTON, D.F.C. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Flying Officer John Foster POTTER. Royal Canadian Air Force

Flight Lieut. William Hugh WAYCOTT, D.F.M. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, aged 22. Son of Percival Guernsey and Annie Waycott; nephew of Mr. C. C. Waycott of Whitchurch

Sgt. Kenneth Percy Charles WILLIAMS, D.F.M. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

A true "Commonwealth" crew, all so young and three of which had already been decorated for bravery, may they forever Rest In Peace.