Harold Purday Toon

51st Sqdn RAFVR Between 23rd August 1943 and 24th March 1944, the RAF attacked Berlin ('the Big City' in airforce parlance) 19 times. Spurr was killed during the largest raid thus far. 746 aircraft, 469 Lancasters, 234 Halifaxes, 50 Stirlings and 11 Mosquitoes, took part. With 26 aircraft destroyed, 167 airmen dying and 25 taken prisoner, losses for the operation were considered acceptably light. Alan Spurr was the flight engineer aboard 51 Sqdn's Halfax II HR 726 which took off from Snaith, near Goole at 16.56 on 22nd November 1943 and went down over Grunevald, south west of Berlin. The cause of the crash is unknown. Four of Spurr's crewmates shared his fate: Wing Commander Christopher Louis Yser Wright (29) [33129], a pre-war RAF regular was the captain/pilot and 51 Sqdn's commanding officer. Sergeant Alan Alfred Brandon (20) [1586424], Sergeant William Edward Pyne (19) [1890889] and Sergeant Ronald Thorn (21) [649194] also died. Sergeant Stanley Grognet (1921-1992) [1439837] and Pilot Officer William Lesli

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