Derek William Wood

LE MANS WEST CEMETERY Plot 38. 1939-45 Row C. Joint grave 20.

Lancaster III ND845 was one of 112 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitoes from 3 & 8 Groups which set out to bomb the railway yards at Le Mans on May 19th 1944. Taking off at 22.22 from Oakington with W/C Barron as the Master Bomber, it crashed some 3km NW of the town's airfield. There were no survivors. Eight fatalities: Wood (FE), W/C JF Barron (NZAF[P]), J Baker (2nd P), R Coldwell (N), JW Walters (W/Op), A Price (AB), RL Weatherall (MUG), J Lamonby (RG).

The raid caused serious damage. Local reports indicate that the locomotive sheds were destroyed, an ammunition train (or some ammunition wagons) blew up, two main lines were destroyed and all other lines blocked because overhead power lines were brought down across the tracks.

At the time, it was reported that Lancaster III ND845 was brought down by flak but this version of events has since been disputed. 7 Sqdn’s ORB (TNA Air 27/101/10 Record of Events May 1944) records (Barron) ‘Last heard on the R/T over the target directing events. Aircraft missing’ and makes no reference to a catastrophic mid-air misjudgement.

However, it seems that the Lancasters of the Master Bomber and his deputy collided over the target and crashed, the explosion being mistaken for a flak hit. The Master Bomber was a brilliant young New Zealander, Wing Commander JF Barron, DSO and Bar, DFC, DFM, and the Deputy Master Bomber was Squadron Leader JM Dennis, DSO, DFC .They were both killed; both were from No 7 Squadron. Middlebrook and Everitt concur with this interpretation and note one other Lancaster was lost.' (Bomber Command War Diaries, p.512)

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