Flying Officer Pickthorne was safe back in the UK 1945-05-12
Footprints on the Sands of Time, RAF Bomber Command Prisoners of War in Germany 1939-45 by Oliver Clutton-Brock, page 411Pickthorne, Emerson Blair (Flying Officer)
Prisoner of War 1945-January-05
Birth Date: 1921-April-03
Born:
Parents:
Spouse:
Home:
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RCAF
Unit
432 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Saeviter Ad Lucem Ferociously toward the light
Base
RAF East Moor
Rank
Flying Officer
Position
Wireless Operator
Service Numbers
J/18787
Target
Hannover Germany
Crew or Other Personnel
Halifax NP817
Mission
Halifax B.Mk.VII NP817
Bombing Hannover Germany 1945-January-05 to 1945-January-05
432 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF East Moor
432 Leaside Squadron (Saevirer ad Lucem) RAF East Moor. Halifax BVII aircraft NP 817 QO-D was shot down during an operation against targets in Hannover, Germany. There are multiple night fighter claims for this loss. The bomber was abandoned before it crashed at 2 km east of Schneeren, Neustadt am Rubenberge, Niedersachsen, Germany
The (then) Wing Commander JG Stephenson OBE AFC CD (RCAF), Flying Officer TR Bond (RCAF), Flying Officer RG Donaldson (RCAF)(USA), Flying Officer WE Fleming (RCAF), Warrant Officer Class 1 WT McMahon (RCAF), Flying Officer EB Pickthorne (RCAF) and Sergeant BM Hodges (RAF) all survived and were taken as Prisoners of War. Little PoW information< id known to date
There were two 432 Squadron Halifax BVII aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serial NP 759 QO-C for additional information on this aircraft and crew
[Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...Unit Desciption
432 (B) Sqn Saeviter Ad Lucem ("Leaside")
History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Wellington X, Lancaster II, Halifax III, VII)
The Squadron was the twelfth RCAF bomber squadron to be formed overseas in WWII. It was formed on May 1, 1943 at Skipton-on-Swale, Yorkshire, UK as a unit of No 6 (RCAF) Group of RAF Bomber Command: indeed, it was the first bomber squadron to be formed directly into No 6 Group. Using the squadron identification letters QO it flew Vickers Wellington Mk X medium bombers until it moved to East Moor, Yorkshire on 19th September 1943, when it re-equipped with Avro Lancaster Mk II aircraft. East Moor was part of No 62 (RCAF) Base. The squadron re-equipped with Handley Page Halifax Mk III aircraft in February 1944, and with Halifax Mk VII in July of that year, and continued with them until the squadron was disbanded at East Moor on May 15, 1945.
In the course of operations the squadron flew 246 missions, involving 3130 individual sorties, for the loss of 73 aircraft. 8980 tons of bombs were dropped. Awards to squadron members included 2 DSOs, 119 DFCs,1 Bar to DFC, 1 CGM, 20 DFMs and 1 Croix de Guerre (France). Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1943, Fortress Europe 1943-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1944, Ruhr 1943-45, Berlin 1943-44, German Ports 1943-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1943.Moyes, Kostenuk and Griffin
Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)
Maps for Movements of 432 Squadron 1943-45
MAP 1: 432 Squadron Bases 1943-45 (marked in green). Right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab
432 Squadron History Summary 1943-45
History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Canuck)
The squadron was re-formed at Bagotville, Quebec as an All-Weather Fighter unit on 1 October 1954. The squadron flew Avro CF-100 Canuck aircraft on North American Air Defence until it was disbanded on 15 October 1961.
Halifax NP817 B.Mk.VII - Bombing Hannover Germany - 1945-01-05 to 1945-01-05
Squadron: 432 (B) Sqn (RCAF)
Start Date: 1945-01-05
Completion Date: 1945-01-05
Mission: Bombing
Operation: unspecified
Target City: Hannover Germany
Target Specific:
Base: RAF East Moor
Take Off Time: 16:50:00
Squadron Code: QO-D
Radio Code:
Return Base:
Return Time:
Crash City: Germany
Crash Specifics: 2 km east of Schneeren, Neustadt am Rubenberge, Niedersachsen,
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason: fighter
Flak Battery:
Enemy Claim: multiple, unspecified
War Diary Unavailable
6 Group Unavailable
6 Group Unavailable
432 Leaside Squadron (Saevirer ad Lucem) RAF East Moor. Halifax BVII aircraft NP 817 QO-D was shot down during an operation against targets in Hannover, Germany. There are multiple night fighter claims for this loss. The bomber was abandoned before it crashed at 2 km east of Schneeren, Neustadt am Rubenberge, Niedersachsen, Germany
The (then) Wing Commander JG Stephenson OBE AFC CD (RCAF), Flying Officer TR Bond (RCAF), Flying Officer RG Donaldson (RCAF)(USA), Flying Officer WE Fleming (RCAF), Warrant Officer Class 1 WT McMahon (RCAF), Flying Officer EB Pickthorne (RCAF) and Sergeant BM Hodges (RAF) all survived and were taken as Prisoners of War. Little PoW information< id known to date
There were two 432 Squadron Halifax BVII aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serial NP 759 QO-C for additional information on this aircraft and crew