This is the story of Lancaster LM582 and its crew on the night of 17/18 December 1944.
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Join Adrian Woolrich Burt, Rob Fullerton and Pete Chicken as they try to unpick the story behind an old a battered flying map discovered at a local auction.
Hello everyone, just a quick note to let you know that we have a new blog post. One Night In December ... The Movie.
Thanks for following and supporting this project, and most of all thanks for getting in touch.
Adrian, Pete, and Rob.
Hello everyone, It has been a while since we posted anything on the blog, but that doesn’t mean that we haven’t been busy. I have been thinking about drawing out a timeline of the raid …
First of all I must apologise for not posting for a while but having more time on my hands this should improve.
Due to the sterling work by Mr Burt last night we have moved all the pods from sound cloud to here.
https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com
We are still working on titles and layout to get it to flow to enable people to use it as a research tool or just to understand operations during this period.
Most pods have a word document which accompanies it. It is best to open this document first then activate the pod.
We would to here your comments and suggestions as we strive to give the reader the best possible experience.
If you have the stamina to listen to all the pods start at the beginning as our conclusions and assumptions evolve and change during our journey
The story of Lancaster LM582 and its crew on the night of the 17/18th of December 1944
Our latest podcast is now available on the blog, in it Pete and I ramble on about ... well, all sorts of things - have a listen via the link, and feel free to get in touch. Best wishes, Adrian, Rob and Pete.
https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2020/09/27/podcast-no-21-f-o-campbell-at-last/
Our latest podcast is available on the blog and soundcloud. It's the last in our mini series on collisions and looks at some of the aircraft and crews who flew to Munich on the 17th/18th of December but didn't make it to the end of their tour. As always, please feel free to get in touch, it's great to hear from you.
https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2020/08/13/46-podcast-no-20-collisions-part-3-see-and-avoid/
Our latest podcast has been uploaded to the blog. In it Rob and I discuss Lancaster collisions, the perils of fighter affiliation (that's practice air combat), and his inadvertent intercept of Ailsa Craig ... an uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland.
Best wishes, Adrian, Pete and Rob.
https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2020/07/08/45-podcast-no-19-collisions-part-2-fighter-affiliation/
Visit the post for more.
Just to let you know that our latest podcast is available via the blog and soundcloud page. Best wishes to everyone and do get in touch. Adrian, Pete and Rob.
https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2020/06/16/podcast-no-18-collisions-1/
In our latest podcast Rob and I speak about the memorable evening had by the Evans (above) and Fairburn crews on the 17th of December 1944. As always it is available here on the blog, and also on o…
Hello everyone, I trust that you are well. Our latest long form post is now up on the blog. It takes a look at a piece of electronic equipment on the Lancaster, and puts some of the Navigator's stresses and challenges in perspective. I hope you find it interesting. Best wishes to you all, and stay safe. Adrian, Pete and Rob.
https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2020/04/20/43-gee-whizz-a-black-box-a-chart-and-the-almost-impenetrable-complexities-of-hyperbolic-nav/
During our last podcast Rob and I mentioned the fixes that Mr Johns took as the Campbell crew flew between East Kirkby and the coast near Worthing. Given that we might have a bit more spare time th…
As we prepare for an extended lockdown my thoughts returned to an essay I wrote some years ago. This was written when Pete and I were looking for some background to what went on that night. Maybe some parallels can be found with where we are today, I'm not sure. Anyway, as is so often the case, these blog posts ask at least as many questions as they answer, so if you find yourself with a some spare time then please get in touch. Somehow a small community has formed around around the map and what we are trying to do, it's now a collaborative effort, and we very much appreciate your comments and thoughts. In the meantime, stay safe, best wishes and good luck to all of you.
Adrian.
https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2016/09/29/the-anthropology-of-strategic-bombing/
This project is finding its feet and we are getting increasingly technical – standby for a new blog entry on electronic navigation and a podcast on what we have found on the redoubtable Mr Jo…
Our latest podcast was recorded on One Night In December Day last year. In it we retrace the steps of the crews on the evening of the 17th of December 1944, not metaphorically but literally.. As ever you can listen to it via the blog, or through the Soundcloud page. Thanks for your support everyone, it's much appreciated.
https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2020/01/12/42-one-night-in-december-day-4-raf-east-kirkby/
Last month, on One Night In December Day four, Rob and I visited RAF East Kirkby. As we walked along the runway, exactly 75 years to the minute since 57 Squadron took off for Munich, we reco…
Podcast 16 has been uploaded to the blog and the soundcloud page. In it Pete and I discuss the menace of flak and his recent visits to Bourgtheroulde and Berlin. As ever, thanks for your support and please feel free to get in touch.
https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2019/12/04/41-podcast-no-16-flak/
In our latest full length podcast Pete and I discuss 57 Sqn’s most recent trip to France, Berlin air defence and the menace of flak. As always, you can listen to it on here, or via our Soundc…
Hi All
I’m pleased to let you know that six Officers of 57 Squadron will attend the ceremony in France on the 25 August. 57 Squadron are currently based at RAF Cranwell and are involved in initial pilot training.
Also members of the local government and members of the French parliament will attend.
I’m sure you will agree this is a massive honour, and makes all the hard work by all of us worth while.
Thank you.
Pete, Adrian and Rob
We published the final part of Rob's remarkable raid analysis last night. It looks at the homeward leg, the return to base and the losses on this raid and those up until the end of the war. It can be found on the written blog here: https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2019/08/04/40-robs-raid-analysis-part-6-homeward-bound/
As ever, thanks for your help and support. Adrian, Rob and Pete.
This is the last in our series of articles on the raid itself. As we mentioned in podcast 15, rather than being the endpoint of our research it really only constitutes a pause, a taking of stock an…
Just a reminder that we are posting an article on the raid each Sunday over on the written blog. The night experienced by FO Evans and crew will live long in the memory ! https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2019/07/21/38-robs-raid-analysis-part-4-friends-that-go-bump-in-the-night/
In this week’s essay we again look at events which took place over or near to the target. We have gained rather a lot of information on this raid from the German perspective (thank you Debora…
As promised, the first of our articles on the raid itself has been posted on the blog. Please have a read and let us know what you think. Thanks as ever, Adrian, Pete and Rob. https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2019/06/30/35-robs-raid-analysis-part-1-sutto/
In Podcast 15 we mentioned that we would post Rob’s analysis of the raid as a series of articles over the next six Sundays. As you’ll see, coupled with the work he did on Mr John’s cha…
Rob and I have uploaded a new podcast on the blog. It introduces our next series of written articles, which over the weeks leading up to the visit to France will detail all that we have uncovered about the raid itself. You can listen via the blog or on our Soundcloud page, and as always, please feel free to get in touch. https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2019/06/21/34-podcast-no-15-a-good-prang/
There is a new blog post on the Donkin crew. As ever it can be found on the One Night in December website. https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2019/06/09/33-alf-don-tony-jacko-henry-brian-and-ted/
FO Alfred Victor Donkin 182009 RAFVR and crew. LM626 DX-M. 57 Sqn RAF. d.17.12.44. Buried at CWG St Sever, Le Grand Quevilly, Rouen, France. Before we go on to post a series of essays by Rob about …
Our latest podcast is available on the blog and via the Soundcloud page. In it Pete and I discuss the latest news on the loss of FO Donkin and crew, the raid of Giessen which took place the week before, and the development of flight safety. Thanks for your support everyone, it's much appreciated. https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com
The story of Lancaster LM582 and its crew on the night of the 17/18th of December 1944
You may remember that last year the RNZAF archive sent me a copy of Noel Culpan's handwritten diary. This had a profound effect on me, he was an intensely likeable chap trying to do his best under impossible circumstances, and in a bizarre way I still miss him. Today, after many months of emailing and searching I found a notice of his engagement to Betty in an Auckland newspaper and, finally, a picture of him. He died in the Donkin/Bennett collision. It was his first trip.
We're back ! Our latest podcast was recorded on One Night in December Day in Worthing. In it Pete and I drink a beer or two and discuss the loss of Essenhigh and his crew on on the beach, get the latest news from France regarding the Donkin and Bennett collision, and look at some rather fortuitous German policy mistakes. As always it can be found via the blog here:
https://onenightindecember.wordpress.com/2018/12/18/30-podcast-no-13-one-night-in-december-day-3/
” … Denn wir fahren gegen Engeland !” Pete and I spent our third One Night In December Day in Worthing. Whilst there we looked at the Essenhigh crash site on the beach, found an o…
Over the last two days Burtie and I have spent time in Worthing paying our respects to the crew of Lancaster PB355 and discovering more about the loss of our first Lancaster on the night of 17 December 1944. We will publish what we discovered in the podcast over the next few days.
Pete
PODCAST No 12 A LONG WAY FROM HOME.
Welcome one and all. I am pleased to let you know that we have released another podcast on Sound Cloud. In this podcast Adrian and Rob Fullerton examine the map in detail. Rob is an experienced Royal Air Force Navigator who taught at the Central Flying School and flew on the F4 Phantom and the Ni**od aircraft. Rob has taken the time to revisit the map and examined it clinically, dissecting each leg and bringing years of experience into play.
In the pod Adrian and Rob spend 3 hours talking through the map In detail. It gives a great insight into navigation in 1944 and present day with amazing conclusions and new questions left to be examined. In my opinion this is a unique piece of work that has never been done before.
Enjoy
Pete
https://soundcloud.com/one-night-in-december/podcast-no-12-a-long-way-from
These podcasts accompany our written blog onenightindecember.wordpress.com. Podcast No2 is our least favourite as we were still finding our feet, but nevertheless it will give you a flavour of what th
Last week I received an email from France concerning the crash of Lancaster LM626 on the night of 17 December 1944. You may remember that on 10 June 2017 I visited the town of Bourgtheroulde in search of missing Lancaster LM626. Adrian and I had very little information on its loss or its location.
During my visit I discovered that of the 9 aircraft lost on the raid 2 were lost close to the town. LM626 crashed within 15 minutes and 6km from Lancaster LL847.
I met the Mayor of Bourgtheroulde Vincent Martin and many others with whom I have kept in touch. Vincent has taken a great interest in this project and the essence of the email I received is as follows.
Email From Vincent MARTIN
Hello
Next week, a group of elected officials and residents will study the archives of the Département de l’Eure to study the documents from December 15, 1944 about our sector and try to get information about the crash the plane LM 626. We will keep you informed of our research.
I met Daniel DAVID Ambassador of the Canadian Embassy; he confirmed the possibility of linking with the traditional fête de la liberation. (this is a celebration of the liberation of the town by the Canadian forces which occurs in the last week of August,) with a tribute to the members of the crew of the LM 626.
The objective would be to unveil a plaque during the day, in memory of the members of this crew. The authorities will be invited, but it seems to me very important to involve the British families who have contact with you, Peter and Olek.
The technical details of the day are not yet sorted.
The ceremony will be August 25, 2019, for at the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the town.
What do you think?
Sincerely
Vincent MARTIN
I feel this a great honor to be invited to the unveiling of this monument and I would like any family members who would like to attend to get in touch.
I will be attending in my capacity as an Ex Flight Engineer from 57 squadron and will be representing the Royal Air Force Engineers Association at the ceremony.
Pete Chicken
The 57 Squadron Operational Record Book shows that the crew of LM626, callsign DX-M, was as follows:
Pilot, F/O Alfred Victor Donkin 182009 RAF VR
2nd Pilot, F/O Noel Sumervieil Culpan 427019 RNZAF
FE, F/S Donald Maurice Pearce 1603564 RAF VR
Nav, F/O Henry Trevor ( or Taylor) Medrington 158446 RAFVR
BA, F/O Brian Wright 153625 RAF VR
W*p, W/O Tom Jackson 1072879 RAF VR
MUG, F/S Edward George Rowley 1285510 RAF VR
RG, F/S John G Beardshaw 1578410 RAF VR
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