50 Squadron crew, June '41

[simon h]

Hi David, I've got the same picture but I didn't know anything about it, there is no explanation on the back. Looking in his log book I doesn't look like he was officially flying on the 15 Feb so maybe he was in one of the Hampdens.

On the 12/2/42 he was Air Gunner flying in the North Sea Attacking the Scharnhorst, Gnelsnau and Prinz Eugen and on the 16/2/42 he was W/T Operator which was his main duty flying to Scampton. Sound like they had a bash at everything!!

If I find any other photos I think you'll find interesting I'll post them for you to see.
Cheers
Simon

[cravens]

Simon,so good to read of your Dad's exploits with 50 Sqd and along with David's research keep their memories alive through their Sons today! My father used to speak of your dad,referring to him as "one of the lads" as in someone who was good at his job but also enjoyed a good night out.!He was flying on the night your dad crashed in AD977 to Frankfurt and was friendly with his pilot F/S Mapp who was also injured.he also flew with a Sgt Hobson on one occasion[Dusseldorf in X3133] who I assume was the same chap you were discussing with David.
Anyway lovely to hear from you and remember these fine men without whose bravery we would not be enjoying the life today. Bryan Craven.

[David Layne]

Here's another one I have found.  My father on left with colleague after a days rough shooting at Skellingthorpe.

[simon h]

Hi Bryan, Good to hear from you, your right , without these brave guys who knows where we would be now. I sometimes wonder if I would be quite so brave if I suddenly had to go to war as these fellas did, but I guess you would just go and do it as they did. Shame we don't know more about Stew Hobson.
Keep in touch
Cheers Simon

[simon h]

Hi David, Here's a picture obviously taken at the same time in the pub. not sure where Wally is though, he's either taking the picture or he's gone for the drinks. Probably the later!!. I have the same 50 squadron emblem but it has been made into a wooden shield and is on the wall in my office.
Simon

[David Layne]

Hi David, Here's a picture obviously taken at the same time in the pub. not sure where Wally is though, he's either taking the picture or he's gone for the drinks. Probably the later!!. I have the same 50 squadron emblem but it has been made into a wooden shield and is on the wall in my office.
Simon

From left to right.  The Landladies daughter, Hobson, Welford, Tytherleigh, the Landlady and my mother.

I would imagine your shield looks like the one below.

[simon h]

Snap, same shield as mine. Here's a couple more photos for you. Firstly on a Hampden Reg No VNU, secondly is the 50 squadron reunion 1954, the only manes on the back are S/LDR Brown, W/Cmdr Oxley, W/Cmdr Lloyd and F/Lt Grose

[David Layne]

Simon any idea who the crew members are with the aircraft?

[David Layne]

"Kev" from another forum has come up with the following in regards Hobson.



David.

Nice to see some progress, however small.

As I understand it, it seems all four men survived their tours with 50 Squadron with the first three named going on to start a second tour. Therefore it is likely that 'Stew' Hobson would also have gone on to a second tour.

A quick check of the CWGC website gives just two S Hobsons, but interestingly one of them is a Stuart Melbourne Hobson with a service Number of 49285. He was a Flying Officer (Air Gunner) serving with 9 Squadron at the time of his death on the 5th of April 1943.

Chorley's Bomber Command losses offers the following:

The aircraft was a Lancaster III, ED696 coded WS-T. The aircraft took off from Waddington sometime on the 4th of April 1943 to bomb Kiel. The Lancaster was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at 23.50 at Grossenaspe, 10 km south of Neumunster where the crew were buried on the 8th of April. They were later exhumed and reinterred in Hamburg War Cemetery. The crew are as follows:

F/S J H C Walsh.
Sgt. H L Jones.
P/O R E Raven.
F/O K E Fraser.
Sgt. T W Telfer RCAF.
F/O S M Hobson.
Sgt. E S Wood.

Additional information from the Lost Bombers website shows this particular aircraft to have been delivered new to the Squadron on the 2nd of March and had flown for 47 hours either at the time of it's loss or prior to taking off for the last time.

It seems that for administrative purposes the RAF declared the date of death for those lost on operations which spanned two dates (such as 4th/5th April) as the date on which the aircraft was expected to return.

It would appear that this Stuart Hobson was a mid upper gunner. As a Flight Sergeant in the photographs you have posted. I would suggest it is not inconceivable that he would have been commissioned and risen to the rank of Flying Officer by the time he was engaged on a second tour. No way of proving it but I strongly suspect that this is your man.

In addition, I have just found him on the London Gazette website. He appears on page 3710 of the London Gazette dated 25th August 1942. This mentions his promotion from Flight Sergeant to Pilot officer as of the 6th of June 1942. Page 1857 of the issue dated 23rd April 1943 shows his promotion to Flying Officer as of the 6th December 1942. By an amazing coincidence, this second entry appears on the same page as George Arthur Martin Gallop who has featured in another thread here.

In conclusion, I think the supporting evidence now is enough to show that there is an extremely strong possibility of 'Stew' Hobson being Flying Officer Stuart Melbourne Hobson.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

kev35