In a reply to a letter from P/O Harry Murdoch Stoffer’s mother Sgt. J. C. George on the 25. April 1946 writes from Reading, Berkshire:

- I was the rear gunner on Harry (your son’s) crew, and I will (gladly?) endeavour to give you all the details of our last operation together as I remember them.

It was about 2 AM on the 24th of April that we were returning from a successful raid on Rostock (here), and had no particularly harrowing experience.  We were about
2 hours away from the English coast when the port engine started to give trouble.  (The aircraft we had was an Avro Manchester, a twin engined heavy bomber, for
reasons not known they stopped production on it). 

Harry as no doubt you know was the aircraft captain, and at the controls at the time.  For some twenty minutes Harry and the second pilot P/O Prescott-Decie
struggled to remedy the trouble, when suddenly from a shower of sparks it developed into fierce flames, I remember well Harry’s voice - it was very composed and
calm - telling us to prepare to abandon aircraft, (This is a drill where members of the crew leave their posts and stand by the two escape hatches).

I left the tail turret and scrambled to the escape hole midaircraft, waiting there was the midupper gunner Sgt Norman Lewis and the second pilot F/O Prescott-Decie.  During this period Harry must have still been at the controls as the aircraft was flying steady.
(Wireless operator Sgt. Ian Hamilton. We know that P/O Prescot-Decie baled out from the front escape hatch. JJ).

We baled out at about 1000 feet, as I came down by chute I saw the aircraft port wing aflame hit the ground and explode. I naturally assumed everybody had baled out safely.

The obvious conclusion afterwards was the fact that Harry must have struggled with the controls to keep the aircraft flying straight and level, giving his crew time to abandon aircraft and minimising his own chances of escape. He was the only casualty and his death must have been instantaneous, his act speaks for itself.

This tragedy happened about 15 kilo’s north of the Danish–German border, I’m really sorry I can’t remember the nearest town, we were within a 20 km. radius from Flensburg in Germany. (The bomber crashed about here, at a closer range here.)

I think the burial of Harry’s remains would have been the responsibility of the local Danish police, they would have done their best.

The remaining five of us (six. JJ) were captured individually by the Danish Police within 2 days.  They handed us over to the Germans who in those days showed considerable gallantry towards the R.A.F.  I’m sure if Harry wasn’t already decently buried by the Danes, he would have been honourably buried by the Germans later.
(P/O Harry Murdoch Stoffer was buried in Aabenraa Cemetery together with 6 other British airmen. AS)

They refused us any information of him at the time except stating that one of our comrades was killed by his aircraft.  The details of your sons extreme bravery I understood then, was going to be reported if possible by the next senior officer P/O Prescott-Decie.

Sgt. J C. George ends:

-I sincerely hope this letter contains the type of information you wish for, if there is anything else I can probably do in any respect please let me know.
I would like to express again Mrs Stoffer my feelings over the whole matter, but I’m afraid the medium of words is insufficient.

Yours truly

Sgt George