u/Proud_Hospital8187

Good evening , my Great Grandfather John.C.Webber was a navigator in Squadron 61 during WW2.. He joined the RAF in 1944 and completed 3 successful missions over Germany. On the evening of 23 September 1944, the crew took off from RAF Skellingthorpe aboard Lancaster LM718, bound for the Dortmund-Ems Canal in Germany. Their aircraft came under attack from a German Messerschmitt night fighter over the Netherlands. Cannon fire destroyed two engines and fatally wounded two members of the crew. With the aircraft rapidly losing height, Squadron Leader Hugh Horsley ordered the remaining crew to abandon the Lancaster. John successfully parachuted to safety before the aircraft crashed near Deurne in the occupied Netherlands. Two of his comrades lost their lives in the crash.

I found this group the other day whilst browsing for some information and I wanted to see if anyone has any information or anything for us to find out as we are writing a book about his life and experiences during the war. Me and my dad are building a collection around the 61 squadron and everything Lancaster bomber and I was also wonder if anyone has any links or contacts to anything for us to collect.

Good evening, my Great Grandfather John.C.Webber was a navigator in Squadron 61 during WW2.. He joined the RAF in 1944 and completed 3 successful missions over Germany. On the evening of 23 September 1944, the crew took off from RAF Skellingthorpe aboard Lancaster LM718, bound for the Dortmund-Ems Canal in Germany. Their aircraft came under attack from a German Messerschmitt night fighter over the Netherlands. Cannon fire destroyed two engines and fatally wounded two members of the crew. With the aircraft rapidly losing height, Squadron Leader Hugh Horsley ordered the remaining crew to abandon the Lancaster. John successfully parachuted to safety before the aircraft crashed near Deurne in the occupied Netherlands. Two of his comrades lost their lives in the crash.

I found this group the other day whilst browsing for some information and I wanted to see if anyone has any information or anything for us to find out as we are writing a book about his life and experiences during the war. Me and my dad are building a collection around the 61 squadron and everything Lancaster bomber and I was also wonder if anyone has any links or contacts to anything for us to collect.