Laughton Lancaster W4314 Crew

Lancaster W4314 Crew - Taken by Charles J Anderson 13 Mar 2010

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Lancaster W4314 Crew - Taken by Charles J Anderson 13 Mar 2010

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Reference WMO/269450

Address:

Forestry Cottages Road

Laughton Forest

Laughton

DN21 3**

England

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Status: On original site

Type: Freestanding

Location: External

Setting: Within a garden/park/churchyard/enclosure/Marketplace

Description: Tree/s

Materials:

Timber Timber (any)

Lettering: Lost

Conflicts:

Second World War (1939-1945)

About the memorial: Australian Armed Forces: Children of a northern Lincolnshire school are planting a gum tree to commemorate an Australian air crew who lost their lives in the Second World War. The crew died when their Lancaster bomber came down in Laughton Forrest, near to the present site of Laughton Endowed Church of England School. The school already has a Millennium Wood and pupils at the school will take part in a competition to decide who will plant the tree. It was donated by the Forestry Commission, which is also donating a plaque to go with it. The planting ceremony will take place on Monday, at 10.30am on Forestry Cottages Road in Laughton Forest. Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph, Wednesday, March 16, 2005. I would like to make a correction, This was not a six man Australian air crew but a crew of seven consisting of 3 British and 4 Australian airmen. I have recently taken possession of some photographs including some crew members. I am the nephew of Sergeant George Howard, the crew were billeted in Blackpool during training and my family owned a guest house in Blackpool at that time. Our family were familiar with the crew and exchanged photos because of this. I understand my Grandmother continued to communicate with the families after this tragedy. The Full Crew were:- Flight Sergeant William BRADSHAW (1673635) of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Sergeant George HOWARD (1622642) of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Sergeant Thomas STEARMAN (1080326) of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Flight Sergeant John Mayo BORTHWICK (413518) of the Royal Australian Air Force Flight Sergeant Peter Raymond GOOD (417068) of the Royal Australian Air Force Flight Sergeant Lewis William MARTIN (416876) of the Royal Australian Air Force Flight Sergeant Sinclair August GRANT (414931) of the Royal Australian Air Force

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Comments:

I would like to make a correction,
This was not a six man Australian air crew but a crew of seven consisting of 3 British and 4 Australian airmen.

I have recently taken possession of some photographs including some crew members.
I am the nephew of Sergeant George Howard, the crew were billeted in Blackpool during training and my family owned a guest house in Blackpool at that time.
Our family were familiar with the crew and exchanged photos because of this.
I understand my Grandmother continued to communicate with the families after this tragedy.  
 

The Full Crew were:-
Flight Sergeant William BRADSHAW (1673635) of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Sergeant George HOWARD (1622642) of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Sergeant Thomas STEARMAN (1080326) of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Flight Sergeant John Mayo BORTHWICK (413518) of the Royal Australian Air Force
Flight Sergeant Peter Raymond GOOD (417068) of the Royal Australian Air Force
Flight Sergeant Lewis William MARTIN (416876) of the Royal Australian Air Force
Flight Sergeant Sinclair August GRANT (414931) of the Royal Australian Air Force

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SCHOOL'S TRIBUTE TO SIX WARTIME HEROES 


11:38 - 16 March 2005 
Caring children are to plant a tree in a forest in memory of six airmen who died in a wartime crash. 
The 30 youngsters in the top two classes at Laughton Endowed Cof E School, near Gainsborough, want the men's memory to live on. 
They will plant a gum tree, donated by the Forestry Commission, on Monday morning at 10.30am.
They believe the choice of tree is particularly appropriate as four of the aviators who lost their lives on the training mission 62 years ago were Australians.
The aircraft crashed close to the school's own Millennium Wood, so the children have decided to hold a short dedication service close to the Lancaster W4314's last resting place.
School administrator Dianne Millward is also clerk to Laughton Parish Council, which is planning to hold a special memorial service in June to honour crews of more than 20 military aircraft which came down on sorties from the former airbase near the village.
"We have done a substantial amount of research within the community to find out what village life was like between 1939 and 1945," said Mrs Millward.
"There was an airfield between Laughton and Blyton and we know that 15 planes came down within a two-mile radius during the Second World War.
"The children have investigated the events of that fateful night on September 1, 1943, when a Lancaster bomber with six airmen on board took off in the early morning.
"We don't know what went wrong - but it crashed into Laughton Forest, killing all the crew members. 
"What we do know is that four Australians died in Laughton that night, never to return to their sunny homeland. 
"We think that they deserve a tribute - a thank-you for coming to England to fight for us.
"So that is why we are planting a gum tree, a native Australian tree, in their honour.
"Although the war ended 60 years ago in 1945, we should never forget that lots of people made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives so we could be free to live ours."
The school's research has revealed that the Lancaster crew was led by 20-year-old pilot Flight Sergeant Lewis William Martin, from South Australia. 
Navigator was Flt Sgt John Mayo Borthwick (33), from New South Wales, wireless operator was Sinclair August Grant (34), of Queensland, and bomb aimer and air gunner was Peter Raymond Good (19), from South Australia.
The other two crew members were flight engineer William Bradshaw, from Blackburn, and rear gunner Thomas Stearman of Gateshead. 
Ellie Cooper (eight) said: "It is very sad that they died and it is important that we are planting a tree."
Hannah Langton (seven) said: "We have found it all really interesting."
Hannah's father, forester Lol Langton (43), said: "We researched the history of the crash site and thought it was important to get the school involved."


CHILDREN REMEMBER AIRMEN KILLED IN CRASH 62 YEARS AGO 


13:21 - 23 March 2005 
Four generations of villagers joined together in a woodland clearing to pay tribute to an aircrew who died 62 years ago. 
Second World War veterans and residents of Laughton, near Gainsborough, took part in the dedication ceremony held near the crash site yesterday.
It was organised by staff and the 54 pupils of Laughton Endowed Village Church of England School, who had researched the tragic last flight of Lancaster W4314 and the loss of its six-man crew.
Children planted a gum tree donated by the Forestry Commission as a memorial to four of the bomber's aviators, who were Australian airmen. They also dedicated a small plaque at the Laughton Forest site less than a mile from the school, close to the pupils' own Millennium Wood.
"It was a marvellous event. The children behaved so well," said school administrator and parish council clerk Dianne Millward, who co-ordinated the tribute.
"All the pupils were really proud to be honouring people who gave their lives on our behalf over 60 years ago."
The children discovered that the Lancaster, based at the wartime airfield between Laughton and Blyton, came down during a training flight in the early hours of September 1, 1943.
All six crewmen died. Pilot Flight Sergeant Lewis William Martin (20), navigator Flt Sgt John Mayo Borthwick (33), bomb aimer and gunner Peter Raymond Good (19) and wireless operator Sinclair August Grant (34) were all Australians.
Flight engineer William Bradshaw, from Blackburn, and rear gunner Thomas Stearman were also killed.
Veteran Joe Wheater (86), of Church Road, Laughton, served in the RAF for nine years from 1937.
"What the children did was excellent. It is a great pity that more events like this don't take place to honour the men and women who gave their lives," he said.
Lincolnshire Echo.

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The plaque is now missing, it read : ERECTED TO THE CREW OF/LANCASTER W4314/BY LAUGHTON ENDOWED SCHOOL.

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