MOOSE JAW — Two authors are looking for information about former resident Lorne Thomas Pritchard, a Second World War airman who participated in the famous Dambusters Raid and was later shot down and captured in France.
Ten years ago, in the village churchyard of Leulinghem, France, researcher Dr. Trevor Kerry found three graves of airmen who had flown during the war from a base near his home in Lincolnshire, United Kingdom.
These men were from 617 Dambusters Squadron and had been on a bombing mission to drop a 5,400-kilogram (12,000-pound) Tallboy bomb on a V-bomb launch site at Wizernes in northern France.
Buried in Leulinghem were pilot John Edward and gunners Sam Isherwood and Tom Price, while in nearby St. Omer were the graves of flight engineer Bill King and gunner Ian Johnston; three others survived.
The crash in northern France occurred on June 24, 1944, 18 days after Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day.
In Leulinghem, historian Gaetan Sagot developed an 80th-anniversary commemorative event, while he and Kerry agreed to collaborate and write a book about the crew’s story.
“We are now filling in gaps in the research. Bomber Command Museum of Canada has provided information about three Canadians: Price from Moncton (N.B.), Johnston from Englehart (Ont.), and Pritchard,” Kerry told the Express by email. “(However), the records on Lorne Thomas Pritchard are sparse.”
The authors know that Pritchard was from Moose Jaw, enlisted in Calgary, was a nursing orderly, transferred to aircrew training, and became a navigator. He had a distinguished career with the same crew members in 50 Squadron before joining 617 Squadron.
Pritchard’s navigation skills also earned him a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), the third-highest military medal that the United Kingdom and Canada issued.
When the aircrew’s Lancaster DV403 bomber crashed in late June 1944, the Germans immediately captured Pritchard and transferred him to prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft 1; he returned home in 1945.
According to Pritchard’s after-action report, his crew was flying at 18,000 feet when their bomber was hit in the port wing, causing a fire in the inner port engine. Pritchard checked on his crewmates, finding the flight engineer dead and the air bomber slightly wounded.
Pilot Edward attempted to keep the plane flying but eventually ordered everyone to evacuate; the bomb aimer and Pritchard cleared the plane safely.
“After the chute opened, I saw the aircraft spinning below and also saw the port wing buckle and bend upwards,” the Moose Javian recalled. “(I) was picked up by 11 Germans as soon as I landed because they followed me along until I hit the deck.”
The Germans also picked up the bomb aimer, who had landed in St. Omer, while they captured the bombardier, who had a broken right leg, right arm and left hand and burns to his face. The bombardier had no information about the other crewmen except that he thought the pilot’s seat had been empty when he jumped.
The Germans later told Pritchard that they had found Edward’s identity tag in the wreckage.
“From (after his return) we have no record of him except a small reference saying he died in 1966,” said Kerry. “We would like to fill in the gap (years of) 1945-66 (including) where he lived, his job, photographs of him, anything to bring his story to life.”
The authors have attempted to contact the crew’s families and gather information from people who knew the crew members. They want to hear from anyone else in Moose Jaw who can tell them about Pritchard’s life after he returned home from the war. They will give credit for the information they receive.
Anyone with information can email Kerry at .
Trevor Kerry is an English educationist who was branch secretary of the Royal Aeronautical Society RAF Cranwell, while Gaetan Sago is a French historian. They are writing for Pen and Sword Books.
