Stanley Charles Chester

Wellington IC T2471 took off at 1700 23 November 1940 from Stradishall, West Suffolk. Lost without trace.

Sergeant S C Chester, Pilot Officer E R M Pears, Sergeant A W Brook, Sergeant A E Taylor, Sergeant T R C Bishop, Sergeant A Hyam: missing believed killed; failed to return from operational flight to Berlin.

Chester joined the Auxilliary Air Force and leant to fly in the Nottingham area. His commanding officer wrote to Chester's parents that their son was 'very popular with the squadron. He was one of the best pilots and had shown great devotion to duty.' (NEP 29/11/40 p.5)

‘In a unique raid for this period of the war (23rd/24th September 1940),’ observed Middlebrook and Everitt, ‘Bomber Command decided to concentrate its main strength of bombers for an attack on targets in just one German city.’ (The main Battle of Berlin was waged by Bomber Command via 19 raids flown between August 1943 and March 1944.) ‘129 Hampdens, Wellingtons and Whitleys, including 10 from 214 Squadron, were dispatched (23/9/40) to 18 separate targets in Berlin. These targets were: 7 railway yards, 6 electrical power stations, 3 gas works and 2 factories making aero engines or aircraft components.' (Bomber Command War Diaries, p.85) However, Middlebrook and Everitt’s list did not tell the raid’s complete story; Wellington T 2471 piloted by Stanley Chester ‘set out at 17.00 to bomb the Chancellory at Berlin.’ However, since take off ‘nothing has been heard of them.’ (214 Sqdn ORB, September 1940, Record of Events, TNA Air 27/1319/12).

Unknown