145081 P/O Stanley William George Neighbour Royal Air Force 156 Sqd from:Lincolnshire (d.12th May 1944) My mother is now 87 and she was reminiscing about her wartime experiences recently. She was 23, then called Muriel (Peggy) Siddall, and in nursing training. Her father, Frank Siddall, was the station master at Beverley in Lincolnshire and the family lived at the station. Mum was engaged to Stanley Neighbour, a pilot in the Pathfinders. He flew his plane low over the station on his way to a mission and spooked the horses in the station yard causing some pretty ripe language from Granddad! Nearly took the chimney pots off, Mum said. She was out in the yard waving a duster on the end of a broom so Stanley could see her. That was the last she saw of him as he didn't return from that mission. If anyone has any knowledge of him or where he might be laid to rest I'd be grateful for the opportunity to tell her.
UPDATE: P/O Stanley William George Neighbour, was the pilot of Lancaster ND454, coded GT-L, of 156 Sqd, he took off from RAF Warboys on the 24th Feb 1944 on a mission to Schweinfurt and crashed between Schalbach and Hirschland,
north east of Sarrebourg, France. However, there is a report that this aircraft was lost 11/12th May 1944 on a mission to Bourg-Leopld, so there is some doubt as to which date is correct, Peggy's recollection would suggest it was May as it would have been dark at 18.34 on a February evening when they are listed as having taken off from Warboys.
The Crew were:
- P/O S.W.G.Neighbour
- Sgt H.Eaton
- Sgt G.W.Rugg
- F/S L.C.Pillinger
- Sgt S.Hopkinson
- R.E.Whitebeard
- Sgt F.R.Morton
Sgt Morton is buried in Hirschland Church Yard and the other six lie together in Schalbach Roman Catholic Cemetery.
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