231467 PO John Donald Range Cromarty Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 6(P) AFU from:Little Sutton, Cheshire (d.3rd Jan 1944) My first cousin once removed was Jack Cromarty of Liverpool. In 1939 his parents lived in Berwick Gardens, Little Sutton, Cheshire
He was a dental mechanic before he enlisted in 1941
He was a sergeant then flight sergeant then pilot officer
and received his commission in November 1943
Prior to arriving at 6 (P) APU on 16th of February 143 he was at various other training units. After training at 6 (P) AFU he went to 81 OTU on 13th of April 1943 and then onto 1656, then 12 and finally after training at Upwood to 156 squadron, one of the Pathfinders at Warboys. He was the pilot of Lancaster JB640 and died the night of 2nd/3rd of January 1944 when the plane was shot down on a mission to Berlin
The other crew members were:
- Sgt. Frederick Edwin Woolven.(Navigator) aged 23 years
- Sgt. Norman Henry Colebatch (Wireless Operator)
- F/Sgt Leonard Norman Lapthorne aged 21 years.
- F/Sgt Dennis Frederick Burtenshaw RAAF (Second Navigator/Bomb Aimer) aged 20 years.
- F/Sgt R.J.Collens Mid-upper Gunner aged 31 years.
- F/Sgt. Kenneth Sidney James Chapman. Rear Gunner aged 20 years.
They completed approx 16 missions all over Germany between joining 156 sqdn in Nov 1943 and the last flight.
It was discovered in 1976 that the plane had crashed into a lake in what was by then the Russian zone. The remains were handed over to the RAF in 1976. It has taken from then until approx 2011 for the MOD to identify where these remains were buried and then another three to find relatives of the lost airmen. On the 27th of April 2016 there was a rededication ceremony in Berlin for four of the crew of JB640 whose remains have been found. The headstones now changed to reflect they were crew members of JB640.
Alas as John had no wife, children or siblings there are no known photographs of him as an adult in the RAF. I have this one photo of him in my late mother's photo album.
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