The Wartime Memories Project - The Second War

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208962 F/O Aliston Rank Gray Ritch Royal Canadian Air Force 57 Squadron (d.5th Feb 1943) On the night 4-5 February 1943, an Avro Lancaster I, serial ED352, code DX-Q, of squadron n°57 of 5 Bomber Group, Royal Air Force, based at Scampton Lincolnshire took off for a bombing raid on Turin. In terrible weather the plane crashed on the slopes of Belleface in the mountains of the Massif de la Pointe de Terrasse opposite the small hamlet of Crêt Bettex, ten kilometres north of Bourg Saint Maurice, Savoie, France.All seven crew members were killed. F/O Aliston Rank Gray Ritch J/10305 RCAF, pilot Sgt Thomas Cosford 1244294, Flight Engineer Sgt Eric Atkins 1318855 RAF, Navigator Sgt D.G.Busby 1391156 RAF, Bombardier Sgt Douglas McNeil 1025811 RAF, Wireless Operator Sgt Eric Norman Perkins 1601353 RAF, Gunner F/Sgt Ronald Shears 542963 RAF, Gunner There was thick snow covering the spot at the time but as the snow melted a search was set up by the Italian army of occupation. At the end of June 1943 two bodies and later three more were recovered from a snow drift in the area. On July 1st the Italian authorities requested the town council of Bourg Saint Maurice to make coffins and to dig graves to bury these airmen. Eight bodies enclosed in six coffins were carried from the village of Les Chapieux to Bourg Saint Maurice with the assistance of the Italian authorities. On July 5th July a religious service was held in the Parish church and the burial took place in the local churchyard in the presence of the local council, the local police officer and officers of the Italian Army who buried the dead with Military Honours. In 1950 the bodies were exhumed and transferred for burial to the British Military Cementry of Saint Germain au Mont d'Or, Rhône, France Lancaster RAF of Bourg Saint Maurice, Memoire- Aeronautique. To aid in the research any details would be most welcome from any of the families or friends of the airmen. Local interest has indicated that a historical group would like to erect a monument to commemorate these airmen. Michèle Howell Add to this record.  Additional Information: I have some another version of this tragedy. Sgt D.G. Busby was in fact the Navigator in the crew and my understanding from a local witness that night, was that the weather was good with clear starlit skies. It would seem that the aircraft had suffered flak damage and at least one engine was on fire prior to the crash. Sgt Busby was my wifes uncle. Sgt Atkins was in fact the Bomb Aimer Sgt Perkins was the Mid-Upper Gunner F/Sgt Shear was the Rear Gunner Gary Reply Related Content: No. 57 Squadron Royal Air Force RAF Scampton Can you help us to add to our records? Add a record to our website. The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them Did you or your relatives live through the Second World War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial? Were you or your relative evacuated? Did an air raid affect your area? If so please let us know. Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice. Contact us. Celebrate your own Family History Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc. Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.

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