Liberation Questionnaire J.18137 F/O G.D. Nicoll RCAF, pilot 97 Sqn Lancaster JB174, 8/9.10.1943 Hannover

[Theo Boiten]

Dear all,

Who can help me with a copy of the Liberation Questionnaire for J.18137 F/O G.D. Nicoll RCAF, pilot and sole survivor of 97 Squadron Lancaster JB174 who was shot down during the 8-9 October 1943 Hannover raid. I believe the file can be found in TNA file WO 344/234/2.

Cheers and thanks, Theo

[edwest2]

Hello Theo,


The plan was to have a Liberation Questionnaire for all POWs but that did not happen, so there is no record for this man that I could find.

http://discovery.nationalarchives.go...tails/r/C14548



Best,
Ed

[Theo Boiten]

Thanks for checking Ed!

Cheers, Theo

[alieneyes1]

Theo,

J18137 P/O Gordon David Nicoll may not have left behind a liberation questionnaire but he did send the following from Stalag Luft III to the Air Ministry. This version of events was sent from RCAF HQ, Ottawa to the family of F/O Ralph Baht on 10 July 1944:

"On the night of 8 October, 1943, I was Captain of an aircraft operating over enemy territory, when we encountered enemy defences. There was a very violent explosion just below the aircraft which blew off the nose and the outer part of the port wing. It also started heavy fires in the damaged places mentioned above and in the back of the fuselage. It blew off the top of my cockpit and made my controls useless. The aircraft immediately went completely out of control and began to spin violently. My helmet had been blown up by the explosion and so I could not contact anyone of my crew through the intercomm and also because of the violent movement of the aircraft. I endeavoured to communicate with them by switching on the "Navigation Lights" which the crew and I had arranged previously as a bale out signal if everything else failed. When I released myself from my harness to get my parachute I had to hold on hard to prevent myself from being flung out of the aircraft. Sgt. Cassidy, who normally stood near me, was killed by the explosion as I saw he had a severe face wound and appeared completely lifeless, being held by the movement of the aircraft fixed to the roof of his compartment. F/O Baht, I think, must have been killed when the nose was blown off. As regards the remainder of the crew I think taking all the circumstances into account they were probably killed in or rendered unconscious by the original explosion. When I left the aircraft and was in mid-air I saw it spinning and blazing but soon lost sight of it as I was busy trying to fix my parachute to my harness and then pull the ripcord. I luckily avoided falling into a large fire that was burning on the ground"

http://www.tributes.com/show/Gordon-Nicoll-95404536

Regards,

Dave

[Theo Boiten]

Thanks for sharing these details Dave -the one thing I'm now still looking for is an exact crash location of JB174. A few local experts from Hannover are now digging into this matter further.

Cheers, Theo