Lancaster III JB143 - The North Sea                                                      Updated: 05 OCT 2021

Airman Surname Init Rank Service Sqdn P_link Plane Operation Crash_site Crash_d Buried_d C_link At_Next
o888578.htm Boyton H J Sgt RAF 50 p226.htm LAN JB143 Minelaying The North Sea d300943 o888 o888.htm POW
o888574.htm Code R M P/O RCAF 50 p226.htm LAN JB143 Minelaying The North Sea d300943 o888 o888.htm POW
o888576.htm Coling E F Sgt RAF 50 p226.htm LAN JB143 Minelaying The North Sea d300943 o888 o888.htm POW
o888575.htm Langford A E Sgt RAF 50 p226.htm LAN JB143 Minelaying The North Sea d300943 o888 o888.htm POW
o888579.htm Moad C R Sgt RCAF 50 p226.htm LAN JB143 Minelaying The North Sea d300943 o888 o888.htm POW
o888577.htm Noble A P/O RAF 50 p226.htm LAN JB143 Minelaying The North Sea d300943 o888 o888.htm POW
e777392.htm Ridsdale B Sgt RAF 50 p226.htm LAN JB143 Minelaying The North Sea d300943 e777 e777.htm NO KNOWN


Den 29. september 1943 kl. 18.24 lettede LAN JB143 fra RAF Skellingthorpe på en minelægningsopgave til Spinach I  (Østersøen ud for Gdynia).

Flyet blev angrebet af en tysk natjager og landede på Nordsøen på position 55`50N 05`38E kl. 01.43 den 30. september 1943.
Hele besætningen kom ud af flyet. (Kilde: AOD)

"Navigator Sgt Bernard Ridsdale blev skyllet bort af en bølge og forsvandt. Han har ikke nogen kendt grav og mindes på Runnymede Memorial.
Resten af besætningen med Pilot P/O R. M. Code RCAF, Flight Engineer Sgt A. E. Langford, Air Bomber Sgt E. F. Coling, Wireless Operator P/O A. Noble,
Air Gunner Sgt H. J. Boyton og Air Gunner Sgt C. R. Moad RCAF drev afsted i gummibåden til de blev observeret fra fiskekutter FN 416 ” Niels Aaen” af Frederikshavn.
Den 3. oktober blev de taget med til Thyborøn.
Ved ankomsten blev de krigsfanger hos den tyske værnemagt og sendt til Dulag Luft i Oberursel nær Frankfurt.
Efter forhør blev Code og Noble sendt til Stalag Luft III Sagan, mens de andre blev sendt til Stalag IVB Mühlberg a.d.Elbe." (AOD)
Se Tyske krigsfangelejre og Lancaster fotos.

Airwar over Denmark har mere om dette fly og dets besætning.   Updated:  05 MAR 2026  7 flyvere.

On 29 September 1943 at 18:24 LAN JB143 took off from RAF Skellingthorpe on a minelaying mission to Spinach I (Baltic Sea off Gdynia).

It was attacked by a German night fighter and ditched in the North Sea on a position 55`50N 05`38E at 01:43 on 30 September 1943.
All of the crew got out of the bomber. (Source: AOD)

"Navigator Sgt Bernard Ridsdale was washed away by a wave and disappeared. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
The remaining crew who were Pilot P/O R. M. Code RCAF, Flight Engineer Sgt A. E. Langford, Air Bomber Sgt E. F. Coling, Wireless Operator P/O A. Noble,
Air Gunner Sgt H. J. Boyton and Air Gunner Sgt C. R. Moad RCAF drifted in the dinghy until they were observed from the fishing vessel FN 416 ” Niels Aaen”
of Frederikshavn and on 3 October taken to Thyborøn.
Upon arrival they were made POW`s by the German Wehrmacht and sent to Dulag Luft at Oberursel near Frankfurt. After interrogation Code and Noble were
sent to  Stalag Luft III Sagan while the others were sent to Stalag IVB Mühlberg a.d.Elbe." (AOD) See German POW-Camps.

See No. 50 Squadron RAF - Wikipedia * RAF-Lincolnshire.info about 50 Squadron RAF * No. 50 & 61 Squadrons Association * Lancaster Photos * Lancaster.
Lancaster III JB143 VN-L took off from RAF Skellingthorpe at 18:24 on 29 SEP 1943. (Source: Aircrew Remembered has this + Archive Report.)

Airwar over Denmark has more about this plane and its crew.     Updated:  05 MAR 2026  7 airmen.