208437 Sgt. Stanley Eric Taft Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 144 Squadron from:Birmingham (d.7th Sep 1941) Stanley Eric Taft was my uncle who, unfortunately, was a casualty in WW2. He was in 144 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and he died on 7th September 1941 at the age of 20. He was a Wireless Operator at the time of his death. I understand the aircraft he was in (Hampden I) crashed shortly after take off at Empingham, RAF Woolfox Lodge in Rutland. The four man crew were all killed - other members of crew were, P/O R. J. Roake, Sgt. B. Hemmings and Sgt. E. Horton. The Bomber Command Losses state that the crash took place at 2055 on the Empingham to Ketton Road, Rutland which was NE of the airfield, some 4 miles WSW of Stamford, Lincolnshire. It appears they were on a bombing run to Berlin. The cause of the crash is unknown, but it I understand it could possibly have been due to overload and the construction of this particular aircraft. Records inform us that the Hampden was later dropped and other more reliable aircraft used for the rest of WW2.
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