Story of the N3673 'Daisy'
History of the crew
On the date of the crash, this Stirling had a 9th crewmember on board to get some experience with the GEE equipment, it was the first operational mission of this 9th crewmember, all 9 were killed and are now buried in cemetery's in Holland.
F/Sgt William Andrew (Bill) Cross, 2nd pilot, RCAF (Extra on board)
F/Lt George William Nicholson, Pilot, RAF
P/O Ronald Max (Maxwell) Disley, Pilot, Age 37, RAF(VR)
F/Sgt John Leonard Hartley Phillips, Wop/Ag, RCAF
P/O Albert John (Bert) Rampton, Observer, Age 24, RAF(VR)
Sgt Douglas Francis Hooper Tuck, Flight Engineer, Age 22, RAF
F/Sgt Carl Stuart Carruthers, Wop/Ag, RCAF
Sgt Donald (Scotty) McCallum, Wop/Ag, Age 29, RAF(VR)
Sgt Harry Walter Trevor Bidgood, Wop/Ag, RAF(VR)
In front of the N3646; left to right: Jack Phillips, Doug Tuck,
Carl Carruthers, Dave Southey, Scotty McCallum
Normally P/O Disley did not fly with this crew, on the date of crash he flew with them because their pilot, David Southey was on a SBA Course on Wellingtons, hence Southey escaped although he was not unscathed for much longer, crashing in April 1942, he survived the crash and the war but has now passed away, here his story:
| Story by David Southey, 1995 I will do my best to answer your questions but was in a coma for some weeks after my last operation in April 1942 and cannot completely guarantee the accuracy of my memories. I was given the opportunity of selecting my crew when we were doing the final course of training at OTU Pershore. I didn't really know the capabilities of any of them and chose them because they all seemed nice guys, rather than experts at their trades! How wise was my decision! I remember a party at the Star Hotel, Worcester, before we left Pershore for Wyton from which Scotty 'lifted' a very handsome metal pint tankard, which i had engraved with the names of all the crew and from which, to this day, i drink my home beers! A very precious memento! I was eighteen years old when i started operations, nineteen when i finished... A bomber crew lived very much together as a family. I don't remember having a lot of spare time. Wyton had a luxuriously comfortable living quarters but did not have runways, at that time, which necessitated a daily trip by crew bus to a dispersed airdrome (i can remember using Warboys, Waterbeach and Alconbury at different times) for flight testing etc. One's own life was at stake so one carried out this duty most scrupulously. Carl Carruthers (Wireless Operator) was my great pal, quietly spoken with an attractive Canadian drawl. A good living and thoroughly decent type. He and Doug Tuck spent one leave with me and my parents' home in Sussex. Doug Tuck (Flight Engineer) his background was a bit obscure but i seem to remember he had spent his early life in India and i believe was in the regular air force before remustering to aircrew. A pretty tough character who could fend for himself. Jack Phillips (Canadian front gunner) I have the feeling that his early life was fairly hard: he kept rather to himself but i always felt he would be good in a real emergency. Bert Rampton (Navigator) an East Ender - first class navigator - the only commisioned member of the crew. We had a good many nights out together and i always found him good company. Scotty McCallum Wonderful character, never knew much of his background but was a conscientious rear gunner, really good for morale and excellent company on a night out of which we shared many. Nicky Nicholson I believe had already done a tour of operations when he joined us and his experience was felt a necessity for a crew as young and inexperienced as we were at that time. Poor chap was a bundle of nerves and could be very easily upset. |
Nicholson was posted to 15sqn on 5-9-1941 from 11 OTU at Bassingbourn, Rampton
was posted to the squadron on 31-8-1941 from 23 OTU.
The rest of the crew came around at about the same time and flew with various
crews at first for experience. Nicholson flew as second pilot to Sq/Ldr Gilmour
on 10-9-1941 on a raid to Turin. The crew first flew together on 29-9-1941
in the N3665
 David Southey showing the tankard |
 |
| When i had completed
the SBA course, i was soon reallocated a new crew captained by Squadron
Leader Jock Wilson. I know from memory we did several trips together, i was second pilot, and eventually were caught in searchlights in a raid over Essen and badly damaged by ack ack. Somehow or other we got back to base but were prevented from making a immediate landing by aircraft disobeying watch office instructions, taking off in front of us. Making a second circuit the engines cut out (the oil supply pipe had been holed by Flak) and we crashed into a gipsy encampment at Godmanchester. |
F/Sgt William Andrew
(Bill) Cross, RCAF
 second from left; Bill Cross, the others are his training crew. |
William Andrew Cross was born in Saskatchewan
and lived in Victoria BC. He was working as a service station attendant
at Cecil Eve Motors. He joined the RCAF as a pilot in October 1940. Bill, as he wanted to be called, met his wife Lois at a Quadra school reunion in 1939. They married May 14, 1941. They were married only 5 days when he left for England and Lois never saw him again. In his training, his examiners noted he was "Good pilot material, keen, alert, with plenty of right spirit. Tested on service aircraft for leg length and found satisfactory." He flew out of England with the RAF, but on the night of March 9, 1942, the 26 year old flight sergeant was added to the eight-man crew of the N3673 for a raid to Essen. He was going to check out the new GEE equipment. |
|
After initital training in Canada, he went to 20 OTU in England. On 17-9-1941 to 9 squadron and on 6-2-1942 to 15 squadron, his first operational flight was on March 9th 1942, that was the crash date. Lois: I was living with my mother on Empress Avenue that March 9, 1942 |
 |
 Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery |
 Bill and his horse at the farm, Canada |
F/Lt George William "Nicky" Nicholson, RAF
Nicholson was posted to 15sqn on 5-9-1941 from 11 OTU at Bassingbourn, he
was a veteran who had already done a tour, he flew as second pilot to
Sq/Ldr Gilmour on 10-9-1941 on a raid to Turin, he was added to the crew on
29-9-1941. On the date of the crash he was the second pilot.
Not much more than this is known about Nicholson, any information about him
would be welcome to me.
P/O Ronald Max (Maxwell) Disley, RAF
Max Disley, age 37 came from Waterfoot Lacashire, was the replacement pilot
on the date of crash, so usually he did not fly with this crew.
Not much more known about him, any information is welcome.
Operations flown by this crew (David Southey as pilot, W.A Cross
not included)
29-9-1941 in N3665
14-10-1941 in N3646
20-10-1941 in N3646
22-10-1941 in N3675
24-10-1941 in N6088
1-11-1941 in N3646
7-11-1941 in N3646
24-11-1941 in N3678
25-11-1941 in N3646
27-11-1941 in N3646
22-1-1942 in W7464
11-2-1942 in N3673
12-2-1942 in N6065
3-3-1942 in N3673
9-3-1942 in N3673, Target Essen, date of crash