The Saddest Story ?

We're all very aware that war results in tragedy, sadness, waste....but sometimes when reading or researching, one small thing makes me stop and think. This just happened when reading a little self-published booklet called ' Pathfinder Pilot' by Roger Perkins - the story of one Lancaster crew during the Battle of Berlin, winter '43/'44 :-


' The new man in the crew, Stanley Bullamore, the flight engineer,was from Hull, Yorkshire. His mother, a widow, lived at 39 Marlow Street, a working-class district.

Stanley had arrived at RAF Wyton on the morning of 27th January straight from an operational training unit. This was his first front-line posting. He reported to the Guardroom, but, before he had time to find a billet and unpack his kit, was told that he was needed for an immediate test flight. Twelve hours later he was dead. He was nineteen years of age.'


Nothing special there, and a story repeated many thousands of times all over the world. But - how sad and pathetic it sounds. No glory, no medals - and his comrades in his new crew probably didn't even know his name.

( For the factually-minded, Stanley Bullamore and his crew were lost in 83 (PFF) Squadron Lancaster, JB724 OL-V, 27/1/44 shot down by the bf110 of Major Wilhelm Herget ).

[ 13. April 2003, 02:52 AM: Message edited by: Martin Bull ]

 

This is really a sad story. I guess that this is the kind of fate that many men and women met.

Best regards/ Daniel

 

I know Martin has already seen this site.. but on sad stories...one of the sadest I have seen refers to ss Fiscus and the Lewis brothers who died serving aboard her.

Takes time to load down because of pics on site.

http://www.british-merchant-navy.co.uk/TOWER.htm

Bless em all.

 

If I remember right usually the veterans ( if there were any ) did not try to make friends with the newcomers for a while, as it was the first few days to weeks the probability of one getting killed being the highest. After that you had shown you can manage...

 

My grandfather has told me many tales about very young boys in the battle of Berlin who were thrown into combat with WWI Mauser rifles and Molotov cocktails (not even Panzerfausts), fighting against T-34s and IS-IIs... The eldest of them was 17 and was a sub-lieutenant and was killed when he got two shots on his leg and then a IS-II passed over him... The other kids which average age was 14 were all hiding inside a house, when Russian infantry attacked the house and its rooms with flame throwers and burnt the kids alive... The ones who were taken prisoners were either killed or raped and then killed...