217554 WO. Jim "Shagger" Shaw Royal Air Force 40 Squadron from:Sheffield My uncle Flt.Sgt. Jim Shaw WOP/AG of 40 Squadron was a member of the crew of 39923 Roderick W.Finlayson RNZAF the other members were Murray, Fletcher, Tuckwell, Beckett and Cawthraw. On the night of 11th May 1941 at 22.25hrs they took off to bomb the U Boat Yards in Hamburg flying in H for Harry.They were subsequently shot down about 01.00hrs on the 12th by Lieutnant Helmut Lent, later to become the Luftwaffe;s 2nd top night fighter Ace. That morning Lent also shot down another 40 Sqdn aircraft piloted by Freddie Luscombe and his crew who were Chappell, Mulligan, Harris, Hodges,and Long RNZAF.
F/Sgt Shaw was the W/Op that night, having swapped from rear Gunner with his friend, to keep his hand in on wireless duties. It would appear the aircraft blew up, my uncle stated he doesn't remember anything except falling through the sky and having a bright glow above him then passing out. He came to in a field with his feet in a stream and his chute around him.
He was subsequently found by farmers who put a rope around his neck and dragged him across fields to the village, stabbing at him with hay forks and kicking him continually, he was taken to a barn where the rope was placed over a beam. At that point a very large German kept kicking him; my uncle said he assumed he was going to be hanged so he spat at him whereupon he received another kicking. He said he had completely lost interest and felt so ill he just wanted them to get on with it.
Things subsequently quietened down and he was later rescued by German Forces. Upon his rescue a German Officer drew his pistol and pointed it at the villagers and began shouting and screaming at them. My uncle was then placed in a truck and taken to a hospital. He said from being taken prisoner by German Forces he was extremely well treated by them and the hospital staff and had excellent hospital treatment, being operated on for head injuries and a broken ankle.
After hospitalization he was taken to Stalag Luft 1 Barth Vogelsang; he was POW number either 9 or 10, he remained a POW until the war ended. All his crew are interred in the RAF Cemetery Nordfriedhof Kiel Row 4 C. He was the sole survivor of four aircraft shot down that night
He was promoted to Warrant Officer on his return to England.
|