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RAF 624 (Special Duties ) Squadron |
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Background
Leslie was born in East London on 24th February 1922, the youngest member of a family. He had one sister (my mother) and four half sisters.
He enlisted in the RAF in September 1940 and trained as a navigator at 33 Air Navigation School, Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada in 1942. Of the 20 men he trained with in Canada on Course 43 (see photograph) only 2 survived World War II as navigators. Between February and July 1943 he completed a tour of war operations with 77 Squadron, RAF Elvington, navigating Halifax bombers over Europe. See photograph taken in late July 1943 at the end of his time at Elvington.
He was then posted to 10 OTU (Operational Training Unit) RAF Abingdon, followed by 19 OTU RAF Kinloss where his first flew with SGT. Peter Godsell on 3rd December 1943. They were then posted to 1658 CU (Conversion Unit) where I believe they were joined by the rest of the crew.
On 18th April 1944 they flew Halifax JP248 from Pershore to Hurn (Bournemouth) and the following day to Rabat, Morocco, an 8 hour 20 minute night flight. On 20th April they flew from Rabat to Maison Blanche and then onwards to RAF Blida to join 624 Squadron. As far as I am aware, Leslie was the only member of the crew to have previously flown operational missions except for possibly SGT. Robinson.
The role of 624 Squadron was to insert agents into occupied France who would link up with the Marquis and arrange for supplies of arms and ammunition to be dropped by the Squadron. This was part of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) work to fight and disrupt the Germans within occupied Europe. It was difficult and dangerous work involving pinpoint navigation, low level flying, sometimes over mountainous terrain and all at night. Other aircraft and crews from 624 Squadron were lost in similar circumstances.
Leslie flew his first two operations with other 624 Squadron crews as second navigator on April 26th and 28th. His crew flew their first operation together on 30th April but this was unsuccessful with incorrect reception. They flew a further 8 operations of which 3 were successful in dropping stores at target. The weather was poor during much of May and June and this restricted operational flying. On 26th June 1944 they took off from Blida at 20.21 in Halifax JP206, 8 other aircraft were also involved in operations that night. The 624 Squadron Operational Record Book records that ‘only 8 aircraft returned to base and all were reported successful. The ninth, SGT. Godsell and crew, failed to return and was believed to have crashed in France. A report from the fields confirms that the aircraft crashed and that the entire crew were killed’. In a letter to his mother (my grandmother) the commanding officer of 624 Squadron, Wing Commander C. S. G. Stanbury, described Leslie as a fearless navigator in a first class crew.
It was not until June 1947 that Leslie’s mother received a letter from the Air Ministry indicating that the RAF Missing Research and Enquiry Service had established that their Halifax had crashed near the village of Gilhoc in the Ardeche Region of France killing all the crew and that their burial place had been located. I believe that she visited the grave some time after this.
The crew
F/SGT. Peter Edward Godsell RAF, pilot (age 20) W/O Leslie John Anstee RAF, navigator (age 22) F/O Walter St. Xavier Jamieson RCAF, bomb aimer (age 26) SGT. Ernest Henry William Coles RAF, flight engineer (age 20) F/O Frederick Nelson Hack RCAF, air gunner (age 19) SGT. James Mercer RAF, air gunner (age 20) SGT. Douglas Hugh Robinson RAF, wireless operator/air gunner (age 23)
Questions
1. What was the weather at the time of the crash ? I was told that there was a storm but there is no reference to this in the written account. 2. Was there any indication why the aircraft hit the trees other than it was flying too low. Does the ground rise at the point of the crash ? 3. I read a report of a second aircraft in the vicinity. Is this true ? Was this another aircraft from RAF Blida ? 4. When was the current gravestone unveiled ? I have a newspaper cutting about this and that Mr. & Mrs. Godsell, the pilot’s parents, were in attendance.
John Talbot
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W.O. Leslie John Anstee by his nephew John Talbot |
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