6 Bomber Group July 27/28, 1943
60 Halifaxes from 408, 419, 427, and 428 Squadrons were joined by 18 Wellingtons from 429 and 432 Squadrons on an attack at Hamburg. The crews were over the target at between 10,000 and 20,500 feet, releasing 120,000 lbs of high explosives and 250,000 lbs of incendiaries. Along with the other 700 aircraft from Bomber command and with the use of Window, this attack was devastating. Huge fires were started, and coupled with high temperatures and low humidity, square miles of the city burned to the ground with enormous casualties.
While most of the group went to Hamburg, 6 Wellingtons from 429 Squadron were ordered on a mining operation to Heligoland. The crews were over the garden at 900 feet, sowing 10@1500 lb mines. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
For this Hamburg op of the 9 crews dispatched including the CO and his crew, W/C Piddington and B Flight Commander, Squadron Leader French and his crew. There were 2 early returns, Sergeant Tighe with his Gee becoming US and Flight Lieutenant Pentony because the starboard engine became US. The crews returned from 0357 to 0423.
The squadron waiting, to no avail, W/C Piddington and his crew failed to return on this op. According to his tail gunner, Reg Scarth, they were flying a brand new kite that night and it was developing too much power. W/C Piddington couldn't throttle back enough because it would cause the engines to overheat. Because of the excessive power their kite was about two minutes ahead of the bomber stream and a sitting duck for the enemy radar and night fighters. They were attacked by Ofw. Karl Kades at 0049 hrs. The aircraft was on fire from the attack and the crew were attempting to exit the plane when it broke apart from an explosion. Sergeant L. Reineck was catapulted through the side of the fuselage. He didn't know what happened to the rest of the crew. He was told by the German interrogation officer, in Frankfurt on 6 Aug 1943 that W/C Piddington was found at the controls of the wrecked aircraft. Sergeant Reineck doesn't know what happened to the rest of the crew. Sergeant L Reineck (WAG) RAF and Sergeant R Scarth (AG) RAF would spend the rest of the war as POWs. Many recalled W/C Piddington as a very popular and well-liked officer. He was quiet, he had a sense of humour and he earned the respect of both his crew and the squadron. W/C Piddington's grave marker is at Hamburg Cemetery.
The story finally comes to life again when Ellen Renton, the wife of Flying Officer Paul Renton (BA) RAFVR age 27 typed a letter to the RAF on 6 July 1945 saying that a soldier friend of hers had made enquires for her in Germany and found that a plane was brought down at Rensdburg on July 27th, 1943. She goes on to describe that there were three airmen in the plane, 2 were identified as W/C Piddington, the other as DO NOT Remove 14805, this is Flying Officer Farquhar number, but the third in someway has been recorded as an American in the book and on the gravestone, yet my friend found a certificate confirming their death and on this they were down as English. She asked that if this unidentified airmen is her husband she would rather know and have his name on the cross, rather than being in the state of mind of not knowing anything for the past two years. She closed the letter by saying If my husband has made the supreme sacrifice, I would rather know where his body lies. She enclosed a photograph of the cross her friend found.
The MREU section, under Flight Lieutenant S.G. Uerdal, takes up the story in May 1946. Herr Oehme, the local policeman at the time of the crash, was looking skyward on the night of 26/27 July 1943. He said he saw a Dornier 217 attack a British aircraft. The Dornier crashed at the same time, presumably shot down by the British aircraft. Herr Oehme arrived at the scene of the crash about one and a half hours later, finding pieces of the aircraft scattered over a wide area and burning fiercely. He identified it as a twin engine aircraft. He placed a guard on the aircraft and reported it to the Landraft at Rendsburg and to the Luftwaffe airfield at Neumunster. The Luftwaffe came out and took charge of the crash scene. Herr Oehme stated that he was told by Hauptman Vollert, from Neumunster that the aircraft was identified as a Wellington. He stated that three bodies were recovered from the crash site with one badly burned. Two of the bodies were identified as Piddington rectly identifies Stovell,not Renton}}and Farquhar. The third body couldn't be identified. They were buried with full military honours on 30 Jul 1943 at Neumunster. The original graves, in 1946, showing Stovell on the marker.
Uerdal reports that the graves were extremely well cared for with flowers on them and a grass verge around them with two crosses of pine with the names of W/C Piddington and Flying Officer Allan Ronald Armitage Farquhar's (N) RCAF age 21 names on the crosses in white lettering. The third cross is marked at Flight Lieutenant C. Stovel 16835. The bodies were exhumed to confirm identities. The first body was badly burned and decapitated. Because of this there was no possible means of positively identifying it. The next body exhumed had false upper dentures and a dark moustache. Obviously W/C Piddington. Since Farquhar and Piddington were positively identified and the third body was part of the same crash. They came to the conclusion the grave was incorrectly labelled at Flight Lieutenant Stovel and was in fact Pilot Officer Paul Renton. (J16835 Flight Lieutenant C.C Stovel RCAF, of 408 sqn was also killed that night. He is buried at the Hamburg Cemetery). Based on their findings they considered the matter was closed and the graves registered.
source: Greg Kopchuck, Bomber Command Museum of Canada
