1174086 Sergeant Robert John "Jack" Preece RAFVR, 61 Squadron RAF

Jack Preece was the son of Herbert and Daisy Preece (neé Mitchell) of Bridgwater, in Somerset. He completed Observer (Navigator) training with John Northend and they were posted to 61 Sqn together in September 1942, with  Sgt John Henry Morrow. All three were killed in the first 5 weeks of 1943, Northend and Morrow on operations and Preece in a nght flying training accident.

At the time of his death Jack Preece was engaged to be married to Miss Kathleen Petherbridge. 

From the archives of the Canadian Bomber Command Museum archives:

https://www.bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca/s,lancasterw4270.pdf

ROBERT JOHN PREECE’S ROUTE TO OTU.

Robert John Preece was born in Bridgwater on 7th June 1920, the only child of Herbert Preece and

Daisy (nee Mitchell). He was an Old Morganian having attended Dr. Morgan’s Grammar school before

leaving and taking up a staff position as a Clerk with British Cellophane. He was working here when he

joined the RAF on 22nd July 1940. He attended No.12 A.C.S.B. (Aircrew or Aviation Candidate Selection

Board) where he was tested, assessed and accepted for training as an Observer. On enlistment he was

described as 5’4” tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and of Fair complexion. It is probable that his height

weighed against him becoming a Pilot; there were minimum and maximum requirements, to put it

bluntly, if you didn’t fit the aircraft you didn’t get in. As a Clerk though he would be an ideal candidate

for an Observer where his written and numerical skills would come to the fore. At this time the family

were living at Newbury House, 11 Wembdon Road, Bridgwater, it would be here much later that on his

last leave he would bring his pilot and friend Herb Warne, but more of that later.

No.2 R.C. (Recruit Centre), RAF Cardington. 23rd July 1940 to 11th January 1941.

As soon as Jack was enlisted he was placed on the strength of No.2 R.C. at RAF Cardington with

the rank of AC2, Aircraftsman 2nd Class. He is recorded as ‘Reserve’ which probably meant he was left at home to wait calling forward to begin his training.

No.1 R.W. (Receiving Wing), Torquay. (Babbacombe), Devon. 11th January 1941 to 15th February 1941.

Finally on the 11th January 1941 Jack was sent to the Torquay area quite probably to Babbacombe

where he was issued his uniforms and other equipment. He spent the next four to five weeks on basic

training awaiting a place at an I.T.W.

No. 4 I.T.W. (Initial Training Wing). Paignton, Devon 15th February 1941 to probably 11th June 1941.

Most I.T.W.'s were located in seaside towns where the hotels had been requisitioned by the Air

Ministry; here they would learn Airmanship amongst other subjects and be subjected to hours of P.T.,

Drill and plenty of ‘Bull’. Jack was probably here until 11th of June 1941, his records fail to say exactly

when he finished here, but this is when he was promoted to L.A.C. Leading Aircraftsman, a promotion

that usually took place at the end of Initial Training after passing the examinations. At the end of this

period he would be at the peak of fitness ready and raring to get on with his training. This could have

been at any number of Observer or Navigation Schools at home or all over the Empire; Jack was

eventually sent to Canada.

No.2 P.D.C. (Personnel Despatch Centre), Wilmslow, Cheshire. No date recorded.

Wilmslow was an Overseas Drafting Station, again Jack’s records fail to record the dates for this

entry, but it is here that the details of getting him on a convoy across to Canada would be arranged. He is

recorded as arriving in Canada on 26th August 1941, three convoys fit this arrival date, ON7 departed

Liverpool on the 15th, ON8 departed Liverpool on the 16th and ON9 departed Liverpool on the 20th. This

means there was a period from his leaving I.T.W. until he boarded his ship that had to be filled. He could

have spent this time at Wilmslow, a holding unit or on leave. The records don’t show this period in detail,

but he would certainly have had a period of Embarkation leave prior to sailing, probably about 10 days. If

he was lucky, he could have had more time with his family, if unlucky, he could have been filling in as a

guard or dogs body desperately hoping for a ship. After a danger strewn journey across the Atlantic he

would be glad to set foot on Canadian soil at last.

No.33 A.N.S. (Air Navigation School), Mount Hope, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. 27th August 1941 to 20th December 1941.

Situated about 12 miles south of Hamilton, Mount Hope was to house a number of units during the war.

33 A.N.S. was established not long before Jack arrived there. Here he would learn the intricate skills needed

to guide an aircraft safely through the skies to its target and back again, Map reading, ‘Dead Reckoning’, Astro

Navigation with a sextant, obtaining ‘fixes’ through radio bearings etc. The unit was equipped with Avro Anson

aircraft, which, after hours of ground school, he would get airborne in along with other trainees.

They would take turns in carrying out various tasks and exercises criss-crossing the country side in good

weather and as winter approached in the harsh conditions that prevail in Canada at this time of year. It is

highly likely that at some stage they would find themselves in ‘white out’ conditions groping their way

along. At times such as this they would hope that they had kept an accurate track and breathe a sigh of

relief on gaining clear air again. The pilots on these flights could be Instructors, “screened” pilots or

trainee pilots, themselves progressing through the Training Program. Many young men would fail to

progress any further, some could not grasp the intricacies of Ariel navigation, and others would fall

victim to poor weather, mechanical failures or just plain bad luck. These to this day lie buried in

cemeteries all across Canada and the rest of the countries involved in the Empire Training Scheme. Jack

completed training at Mount Hope on 20th December 1941 and was posted to a Bombing and Gunnery

School for the next stage of his training.

No.31 B&GS (Bombing and Gunnery School), Picton, Prince Edward County, Ontario. 21st December 1941 to 3rd February 1942.

The camp was created over a six-week period in the autumn of 1940. Canadian National Railways  brought in 600

rail cars full of building material to Picton for the construction of Camp Picton or Picton Heights as it was known

at the time. In April, 1941, hundreds of officers and airmen of the Royal Air Force arrived at Picton station to take over the Bombing and Gunnery School where Six week courses were offered for observers and air gunners with up to five classes being run concurrently. The Picton B&GS was operated by the Royal Air Force, while 10 other bombing and gunnery schools across Canada

were under the control of the Royal Canadian Air Force. When completed it offered aircraft hangars, runways that were up to 2500 feet long, 5 bombing ranges and accommodation for up to 1000 officers and airmen. The unit operated Avro Anson, Bristol Bolingbroke (a Canadian Blenheim), Fairey Battle, and Westland Lysander aircraft. Jack would have flown in

the first two types and maybe either of the other two. Jack arrived at Picton just before Christmas of 1941;

here he would learn the skills of a Bomb Aimer. At this stage of the war an Observer was the Navigator and

Bomb Aimer of a crew, he would also assist the pilot as required, later on these jobs would be divided

between 3 men as the complexity of equipment and tasks increased. On the 2nd of February 1942 he passed

out and was promoted to Sgt, he also received the coveted Observer’s half wing to wear on his left breast. He would now look forward to getting back to the UK and getting onto an operational squadron, this would still be a good while away as there were many phases left to his training.

No.1 “Y” Depot, Halifax, Nova Scotia. 3rd February 1942 to 7th March 1942.

Jack’s path now started to follow that of his future pilot Herb Warne, he was ‘taken on the

strength’ of No.1 “Y” Depot at Halifax. A “Y” depot was an Overseas Transit Depot where personnel

were held or attached for administrative purposes to await a place in one of the convoy of troopships.

Here thousands of men would kick their heels trying to avoid boredom and frustration until they got a

berth on a “Blighty” bound ship. The entry on his records states “1 ‘Y’ depot at 31 B&GS” though, so

maybe Jack spent his time waiting at Picton while being on the strength of No.1 ‘Y’ depot for

administration purposes. Jack only had to wait just over four weeks before getting a ship out of Halifax

in convoy HX179, setting sail on the 9th March, now he would run the U-boat gauntlet for the second time

on the 13 day voyage. Convoys took a roundabout route across the Atlantic, the fast Liner troopships such

as the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary could sail on their own at full speed to avoid U-boats crossing in

5 or 6 days. Weather could delay the convoys and add the misery of seasickness to the dangers of a U-

boat infested ocean. Jack finally made it back to the UK arriving at Liverpool on the 22nd March and

landed on the 23rd, he would have struggled down the gang plank with his kit bags bulging with presents

for the family, things that were in short supply in war time Britain.

No. 3 P.R.C. Personnel Reception Centre. Somerset House, Bath road, Bournemouth, England. 24th March 1942.

Just as Herb Warne had done Jack went to No.3 P.R.C. a reception centre at Bournemouth, in fact

Herb was still here when Jack arrived, and would be for another three weeks, so it is possible that they

met. As he had done his training overseas, Jack should have gone to an (O)A.F.U. to get further training

in operating in the European skies. He would be held here until a place became available. There is no

mention of this in his records, but they also show he did not get to No.19 O.T.U. until 31st August, this is

a mistake, we know he got there about 17th June and the course ended about 24th August, so it looks like a

couple of entries on his records have got fouled up during transcription by a clerk at some stage.

(O).A.F.U . (Observers) Advanced Flying Unit Possibly mid April to Mid June 1942.

Although it is not recorded on Jack’s records he would have gone to one of the (O)A.F.U.s to bring his skills into line with the UK

operating conditions. Some of the Observers would have trained in the clear sunny skies of the USA and South Africa; even Canada had large open skies compared to the congested and dangerous skies over the UK. So here they would get a few weeks extra training to get up to speed ready for a posting to an O.T.U. Once Jack had finished with this stage he would have found out that he was Bomber Command bound as soon as he saw that he was heading to No.19 O.T. U. at RAF Kinloss in Scotland.

The Crash. 

The following is taken from the account of Mr Sid Baggaley, a local farmer. 

On the night of 18th February 1943 just as Sid Baggaley, a local Farmer was retiring for the night he

became aware of the sounds of an aircraft in trouble. Looking out of his bedroom window he saw an aircraft

that had an engine on fire, the aircraft passed low over the top of his house and a few seconds later there was

the sound of a crash. Later that night members of the RAF arrived at the farm house asking for his help in

getting to the site of the crash as it was in an area that was difficult to find the route to. Sid was able to show

them the way there and described how the aircraft wreckage was laying in one of his fields. The crew had been

killed but had been thrown clear and they were collected by the RAF recovery team and probably taken to the

Medical Centre at nearby RAF Bottesford.

The wreckage was later removed by the RAF and Sid was left to wonder just who these young men had

been that unfortunately lost their lives that night in one of his fields. While working the fields one day Sid came

across a small square of metal painted black on one side and placed it for safe keeping in one of his out

buildings hoping one day to learn more about the crew and what had happened, due to wartime security he had

been told nothing by the authorities.

The story leaps forward now, Sid became friends with Mrs Di Ablewhite, his Chiropodist and knowing

she was interested in archaeology one day late in 1999 handed her the piece of metal asking her what she made

of that then. He went on to reveal that it came from a wartime aircraft crash and that he had never forgotten that

night and could her group find out more information. Di hastily scribbled some notes into her work note book.

The years had clouded Sid’s recollection of that night a bit though and as the note book reveals the details were

to set them off in the wrong direction for a while until further evidence was uncovered.

Sid thought it had been a Wellington bomber and that it had taken place in about 1940/41. The men had

been thrown clear possibly due to an explosion, either in the air or on impact. There had been 5 or 6 men, one

possibly Canadian, and they had been on a training flight. He had seen an engine on fire as it flew over his

house.

That was what Di and her group Farndon Archaeological Research Group (FARI) had to go on. They

started by researching Wellington crashes in 1940/41 using Mr Chorley’s series of books Bomber Command

Losses of World War 2, after much work nothing was coming to light so they expanded their search parameters,

they eventually came across the most likely contender. A Lancaster, W4270 of No.61 Sqn had crashed in the

area of Staunton in the Vale where Sid’s field lay on the night of 18th February 1943. There were no other

crashes that matched; this must be the one, now to prove it. (Years after Sid had died his daughter and Grand

daughter, Barbara and Annie, found a farm diary for 1943. In it written in the space for 19th February were the

words “Big four engine plane crashed in the night”). Hind sight is a wonderful thing, Wellingtons had two

engines, it would take a lot of work to prove what that line could have done in seconds.

Further entry noting investigating officers visit

The square of metal was taken to the Newark Aviation Museum, and due to an RAF Section/Reference

number being stamped on it they could state it was from a Lancaster, they were also able to show where it came

from on the aircraft, due to a screw plug that was part of the piece. It came from just behind the bomb bay and

the plug would be removed to take an eye bolt for tying down the aircraft in strong winds.

Mr Chorley’s books provided details of what had taken place and listed the crew names. The

Commonwealth War Graves Commission web site provided further details of where they were buried and some

details of a personal nature such as ages and parents names. Later a field walk was organised and a large

quantity of small pieces were recovered, some of these were also able to be identified by various sources

including The Aviation Heritage Centre at East Kirkby in Lincolnshire, home of Lancaster bomber “Just Jane”

and by people who had worked on the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s (BBMF) Lancaster, PA474.

A report of the findings of the project was prepared in time for the 2000 Millennium. As a result of the

research the village of Staunton in the Vale erected a memorial to the crew next to the village church over

looking in the near distance the site of the crash. A Lancaster propeller blade was donated for the memorial by

the Lincolnshire Aircraft Recovery Group (LARG), stone for the plinth by Mr and Mrs Staunton of Staunton

Hall in whose grounds the church stands, and brass plaques with the details were purchased with donations.

There things stood, shortly after more information concerning the accident came to light, and some of

those involved one day hoped to be able to find out more and maybe find photos of the crewmen. Time passed,

some of the information was again put on display in 2003 and received some coverage in the local press. More

time passed when in 2007 the village started thinking of holding a fund raising event to be spent on the

restoration of parts of the church.

It was decided to hold a Snowdrop walk day in the grounds of Staunton Hall in February of the

following year. As part of the day’s activities, Di was asked if the Lancaster information could be put out as one

of the displays, so now seemed to be the ideal time to carry out further detailed research to answer many of the

open questions.

In late October a small group of people consisting of Di Ablewhite, Barbara and Annie (Sid’s kin) and

Ian Hinks (ex-BBMF) set about this task. What was wanted were Photos of the crew, Headstone photos in lieu

of them, contact with relatives and as much other information as could be wrung from all sources. Contact was

made with the churches in the areas that the crew had come from, as well as local history groups and some local

newspapers, asking for publicity with a view to finding if there were any relatives of any of the men still in the

areas concerned, also for photos of the headstones in their care. Notices were also placed on several aviation

web sites, notably the Nanton Lancaster site by an old acquaintance Peter Whitfield. Other sites picked up on

these posts and things began to snowball.

Most who were involved would probably agree from then on things at times became a blur as

information was pouring in from all sides on occasion. Contact was made with the relatives of Arthur Hitchon,

the Flight Engineer on the crew. They provided photos, the first face to emerge, and other family documents

and a lively correspondence ensued. Some of the headstone photos were collected and then contact was made

with friends and a relative of one of the Gunners, John Coaker. They would provide photos when they had

collected them, so a little longer wait, but then there would be another face to see. News from Nanton in

Canada was that there was a photo in a book commemorating the war dead of Saskatchewan of the pilot, Herb

Warne, three out of seven, this was beyond the groups wildest dreams. A photo of James Whitehead’s

headstone on the web site of The Scottish War Graves Project completed the seven headstone photographs.There is no doubt that the more that was uncovered, the more personal was becoming the connection to the

crew, particularly finding out the names they were known by, but probably the most emotional were seeing

their likenesses, more than a few quiet tears were shed, at the same time, a sense of joy at bringing their

memories out into the open again.

By the middle of January 2008 with the snowdrop day on 17th February fast approaching, much work

was being done to collate all the information and prepare a presentation for the public. There also arose the

need to involve the relatives and friends of the crew closer in all that was happening. The Snowdrop day was

going to be too busy to give the attention that any relative or friend would deserve, so we also planned a

gathering a couple of weekends before. Due to the distances involved, it was only the Hitchons who could

attend. Arthur’s nephew, David and niece, Kathryn, along with their spouses came down on the 3rd February

from Lancashire and were shown all the places of relevance. RAF Syerston where they took off, RAF

Bottesford where they were trying to land, the crash site field and the memorial next to the church. Di had set

up a display in her house of the information and artefacts which we were able to present after a bit of lunch. A

very full and rewarding day for all involved. David Hitchon works for the brewers of “Lancaster bomber” Beer,

so continuing the family connection with the Avro classic.

By now you might have noticed the significance of the date of the Snowdrop walk day, Sunday 17th

February, the day before the 65th Anniversary of the crash, a poignant ‘coincidence’ or fate? I’ll leave the

reader to decide. Down in Leusdon there was to be a simultaneous memorial service for John Coaker in which

Snowdrops were to be transplanted onto his grave, thus bringing the two villages closer together.

Just a couple of days before the Snowdrop day, contact was made with family of one of Jack Preece’s

relatives in Australia, who has a daughter living in Cambridge. Family of a relative of Eddie Loverock was also

aware of the events. The photo of Herb Warne in the memorial book was of a small size and so the authors had

again been contacted to try to obtain a larger format copy, this arrived the day before the display, a fine colour

portrait. Di, Barbara and Annie spent much of Saturday setting things up in the church, a friend of Di’s, Alan,

along with his spouse were bringing along a set of radio equipment as used in Lancasters to add to the display.

There would also be a group of WW2 enthusiasts, some who were friends of Annie’s coming along in period

dress to show everyone the types of clothing and equipment that the crew would have worn. Some of the Lady

members, WAAF and WRVS would put the final touches to the atmosphere.

Earlier a mild panic had been started amongst the group setting up the display, when the Snowdrop

organisers suggested that there might be between 5 and 6 hundred people turning up, people had been ringing in

virtually non stop to find out more about the event. If only we had known what reality would bring. The

weather forecast had been good for days and so the day arrived, crisp, clear, and bright. The gates were due to

be opened at 11am, so the final touches were put to the display and a bacon sandwich grabbed before the fray

began. Before the last bite was taken the first of the public arrived, the rest of the day is a blur. No, honestly, a

constant sea of faces passing through the narrow area of the church that the displays occupied, many questions

were answered and anecdotes exchanged, information leaflets handed out, each member caught in their own

little areas hardly able to swap a word through out the day. Finally 4 pm arrived, and the last of the public was

leaving, where had the day gone, most of us were in a bit of a state of shock, still trying to reconcile what had

taken place. Early estimates were that over a thousand people had attended; later checks on gate receipts would

show that over 1100 adults had paid to come, there was no charge for children, so close on 1500 people was the

estimate of final attendance. Oh, that doesn’t include those who could not make it on the day and turned up on

Monday asking to see the displays left up in the church.

As with all things done to a schedule, the day after an event more information comes to light, this was

the case here. On the Monday, family of the Pilot Herb Warne contacted Di, saying they had heard through one

of the book authors that a village was having a memorial display to the crew. They provided many useful

documents over the next couple of days including Herb’s Flying log book and letters, both personal and official

concerning events. From these and other information it was possible to create a much more detailed account of

the crew’s lives between September 1942 and their deaths on 18th February 1943, a detail in one document

tying in with a detail in another sometimes answering several outstanding questions.

More relatives and friends have expressed their intentions to visit the memorial when time and

circumstances permit, this will in some cases mean journeys from as far a field as Canada and Australia. Should

they wish all the friends and relatives of the crew will be placed in contact with each other and it is hoped that

the relationship with each other and the village of Staunton in the Vale will continue that forged during wartime

by the members of the crew of Lancaster W4270.Off and on over the next six months work on tracking down more information, more obituaries and the

elusive four crew photos. The RAF still hold Personnel Records for this period and they can only be released to,

or with the permission of next of kin. Canada’s laws are different and after 20 years records of deceased service

persons can be released to anyone. This is how we were able to get copies of Herb’s records and they revealed a

host of information concerning where he trained, dates etc., details of enlistment and of the crash as well as

much more. With the contacts we now had with some of the families we were able to get the permission to see

Arthur Hitchon’s records which again revealed masses of details of his time in the RAF.

August saw a visit by relatives of Jack Preece to the Memorial next to the church in Staunton, they were

hosted by the group and shown what details we had uncovered to date, a very pleasant day was had by all. By

September 2008, enough clues about where to look next had been gathered. It was now worth while going on a

trip to Bridgwater, the Leusdon area and to the archives at Kew. First stop was Bridgwater where searching the

Newspaper archives revealed Jack Preece’s obituaries and notices, but disappointingly still no photo. Next stop

was to the records office at Newton Abbott in hope of finding details on John Coaker from Leusdon. This was a

disappointing part of the journey turning up nothing.

The next day the destination was Kew to look through documents that had been identified as possibly of

interest. We knew that some units took photos of airmen and courses that passed through the stations they were

on, but to be honest, what we were expecting to find were documents such as Operational Records Books

showing day to day details of training flights as well as any details of combat operations against the Axis. This

is just what we found; they revealed that both Gunners had flown in combat to Berlin while at a training unit.

They also showed the details of Herb’s two operations as second pilot once they arrived on No.61 Sqn. Many

details were found covering several of the training units that they had gone through and the Anti-submarine

operations they flew in between training units. Then, a box containing a large book covering 1940 to 1945 was

collected from the archives desk, once it was taken out and the first page opened, total disbelief; a photo of

crews on the first training course at No.19 Operational Training Unit at RAF Kinloss. Could it be possible that

there were more? Indeed yes, page after page of photographs going all through the war. Turning to the pages

covering the period that we knew some of our crew were there and low and behold, here they were. Arranged

by trades were group photos including Herb among the pilots, Jack Preece with the Observer/Navigators, James

Whitehead and Thomas Newton among the Wireless Operator/Air Gunners and finally John Coaker with the

Air Gunners. In one fell swoop we now had photos of six of the seven crew members; the only outstanding

photo was Eddie Loverock.

At the end of the year Jack’s relatives sent for his service records, unfortunately due to a mail

forwarding mix up the records went missing and they had to be requested again which would take a few more

weeks before the hard working records staff could get them copied again.

Meanwhile desperation was setting in regarding the final photo, were we to be defeated, a feeling of

letting the crew down was on us. It was decided to have one last go and again contact local newspapers around

the area of Matlock where Eddie had come from. We wrote to three papers late in February 2009 and a couple

of days later we heard from representatives of the Peak Advertiser, a local free paper. They would run the

request for help in tracing his photo in the letters to the Editor section.

7th March 2009, a red letter day, this is the day that the seventh and last crewman’s photo was found and

included in the presentation, seventeen months of searching was over. A Lady who was due to get engaged to

Eddie, or Ted as she knew him had the accident not happened contacted us through the Peak Advertiser to say

she still had three photos of him which she kindly let us copy.

Another week later and Jack Preece’s records were also made available to us once more a treasure chest

of information came to light and has added greatly to our understanding of events. Once a detail has been

uncovered, reference to books or information on the internet can take a small point and expand it into

paragraphs, this then is what happened and what follows is a result of a lot of work, a good deal of time and the

resources available early in the 21st Century. Oh and a good deal of luck, or maybe it was the boys lending a

hand.

STAUNTON in the Vale LANCASTER CRASH

Lancaster Mk1 W4270 QR- T of No.61 Sqn. R.A.F. Syerston, Notts. 18.2.1943

Whilst on a Cross country training flight W4270 crashed at 2256 following an engine fire about 2 miles

NW of RAF Bottesford, Leicestershire. The aircraft came down a mile from the village of Staunton in the Vale,

Lincolnshire. Sgt Warne RCAF, who is listed as a Warrant Officer 2 on the CWGC site was buried in Newark-

upon-Trent cemetery, his crew were laid to rest in their home towns and villages.

John Northend had flown W4270 on Ops on 20 Dec 1942, target Duisberg, but the aircraft suffered oxygen failure and the crew had to return to base.