208225 Flt.Sgt. Ivan Edward Smedley Royal Air Force 405 Squadron from:Nottingham, England (d.31st Jan 1944) My brother, Ted Smedley, joined the RAF in February 1943 aged 19. After training at 14 Training Wing, then Rootes Securities and 1659 Conversion Unit in Yorkshire. He joined 405 RCAF Pathfinder Squadron at Gransden Lodge, Bedfordshire England on 29th November as a Flight Engineer.
On the 30th of January 1944, 13 Lancaster aircraft were detailed for bombing raid on Berlin.a 25 minute air test was all that was carried out on the flying programme for the day, as preparations for operations prevented further progress on the ground. Ten aircraft successfully returned but 3 were missing, including Lancaster ND 462.
My brother was the Flight Engineer on ND 462 which took off in fairly fine weather from Gransden Lodge on the night of 30th/31st January 1944. Lancaster bomber ND 462 was part of a force of 534 aircraft consisting of 440 Lancasters, 82 Halifaxes and 12 Mosquitoes which caused widespread damage to the City of Berlin. Although the raid was a success, 33 bombers, including ND 462 failed to return. Many aircraft of which were lost to enemy night fighters.
ND 462 crashed in the District of Magdeburg as a result of enemy fire. The full crew of seven who were killed are buried in the Berlin War Cemetery, Brandenburg, Germany.
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