James Hurst
In 1939, James Hurst worked as a motor replacement stores boy.
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
James Hurst was the son of Bertram and Kathleen Elsie Hurst and the brother of Louis, Kathleen, Herbert, Guinevere and Esther Hurst. In 1939, they lived at 3, Kings Meadow Road, Meadows, Nottingham. James Hurst and Mary A Wood were married at Nottingham during the summer of 1943.
James Hurst was a gunner aboard Lancaster III JA853 which took off at 1624hrs 16 Dec 1943 from Oakington, Cambridgeshire. The aircraft was shot down by a night- fighter (Oblt Heinz-Wolfgang Shnaufer 1V).
There no survivors from the crash of Lancaster III JA853. Fatalities: James Hurst, Raymond Edgar Hedges from London + Five Australians - the captain Wallace Arthur Watson, John Butterworth, Reginald Douglas Wha, Charles Lloyd Robinson and William Maitland Waterson.
After the war, Schnaufer's wireless operator, Fritz Rumplhardt, wrote to James Hurst's nephew Dave Cheetham 'With hindsight I am sorry to have contributed to the death of your uncle. The terrible war demanded its sacrifices. I was not untouched by it as both my brothers were killed as pilots.' [Cited in Richard Knott's excellent Black Night For Bomber Command, The Tragedy of 16 December 1943 (Pen & Sword, 2007 p.78)]
![James Hurst From Richard Knott, Black Night For Bomber Command, The Tragedy of 16 December 1943 (Pen & Sword, 2007 p.78)]](https://ik.imagekit.io/tailwinddigital/rohphotosnottiprd/17146.jpg)
James Hurst From Richard Knott, Black Night For Bomber Command, The Tragedy of 16 December 1943 (Pen & Sword, 2007 p.78)]
Curiosity inspired Hurst's nephew Dave Cheetham to research this photo which had long adorned his grandmother's lounge.