How Did This Mosquito Land?
Gift Aid It!
The night of 16/17 December 1943, afterwards known as Black Thursday, saw the worst RAF bad weather losses of the whole war. A heavy fog caused severe problems for home-coming aircraft and there were multiple fatal crashes. Amongst the dead were 50 Pathfinder aircrew.
Our two commemorative booklets for the 75th Anniversary of 16/17 December 1943 are now available. Together they create a unforgettably vivid picture of the dramatic events of that night which led to so many deaths in the Pathfinders and Bomber Command.
All profits from the sales go towards the RAF PATHFINDERS ARCHIVE and in particular to the funding of the DEVERILL COLLECTION, which we bought with the benefit of supporter-loans last year. The collection was on the verge of being sold to a private buyer but is now on view to everyone at the Pathfinder Collection at RAF Wyton.
You can pay by Paypal or by any of the alternative methods which can be found at the foot of this page.
Ernest Deverill – “A Knight of the Air” – one of the most tragic losses of 16/17 December 1943 was the death of Ernest Deverill and six of his crew in an accident caused by fog and the shut-down of all the engines on his Lancaster when his petrol ran out. This is a brief biography of the outstanding pilot who won the DFM, the DFC twice, and the Air Force Cross, and who flew on both the Augsburg and Le Creusot daylight raids. The booklet contains many hitherto unpublished photographs, including two taken from his aircraft on the Le Creusot and Milan raids of October 1942.
Ernest Deverill: A Knight of the Air: £7.50. Postage + packing (UK only): £1.25. Postage + packing overseas (surface mail) £2.75.
The Mass RAF Funerals at Cambridge – an illustrated account of the extraordinary mass funerals at Cambridge City Cemetery on 22 December 1943 when 20 Pathfinders, most of them Canadians and Australians, were buried in a single row. It was customary for photographs to be taken of the funerals of overseas aircrew on behalf of their families who were unable to attend. The photographs used here of the Pathfinder ceremonies conjure up an unforgettable impression of that very sad day.
The Mass Funerals at Cambridge: £7.50. Postage + packing (UK only): £1.25. Postage + packing overseas (surface mail) £2.75.
Save £2.50 on UK orders or £4.50 on overseas orders. Both booklets: £14.00. Postage + packing (UK only): £1.00. Postage + packing overseas (surface mail) £2.00.
by Postal Order or Cheque made out to RAF PATHFINDERS ARCHIVE and sent to our registered office: Pathfinder Office, The Pennys, Winforton, Herefordshire HR3 6EA.
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