Fate 12 Squadron crew members 1944?

[Theo Boiten]

Dear all,

I was recently given a crew photo of a Alastair Cook and his 12 Squadron crew, taken in late 1943 or early 1944.

Alastair noted the following names on the photo: Mac, Alf, Maurice, (self), Bill, Wilf, Jack. These were: K. McDonnel, A. Baker, M.R.N. Mouchet RCAF, A.J. Cook, W. Smith, W. Edwards, and J. Ellis. This crew flew together with 12 Squadron until mid-March 1944.

F/Lt. Alastair J. Cook and his Navigator Mouchet were both killed in action during the 30-31 March 1944 Nürnberg Raid, flying with five other/new crew members.

Can anyone tell me what became of the five original members of F/Lt. Cook's crew, and what could have been the reason for this change of crew?

Cheers and thanks, Theo

[RSwank]

In trying to find some more info to help identify the crew names I found these:

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/.../2537/data.pdf

1392508 Flight Sergeant Wilfrid George SMITH. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 12 Squadron
592036 Sergeant John ELLIS, Royal Air Force, No. 12 Squadron.
1726841 Sergeant Kenneth Evan MACDONELL, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 12 Squadron.

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/...36685/data.pdf

Wilfrid George SMITH mentioned again.

John "Jack" Ellis, 12 Squadron
https://www.legacy.com/amp/obituarie...r-uk/164169009

[M sIMPSON]

Hi there,
The short version is that Cook and Mouchet were posted in to 12 Sqn to replace the original pilot and navigator of the other crewmen in your photograph. 122507 Michael Lloyd was posted in to 12 Sqn with his crew 15/7/43 from 1656 C.U. After flying a second pilot sortie 24-25/7/43, Lloyd took his own crew on 14 sorties, with one or two occasional crew changes. One the night of 22-23/10/43, he and his navigator, 1396342 (later 161242) Geoffrey Edward Parkes, took a new crew on a sortie to Kassel from which they failed to return.Cook and Mouchet were posted in to crew up with the remainder of the Lloyd crew. Posting in dates for Cook and Mouchet are a little unclear, but it seems that both had been at 166 Sqn.
The two members of the crew not identified in the post above are 1536325 William John Harold Edwards DFM 6/6/44 and 1580579 Alfred James Baker DFM 6/6/44.
The former members of the Lloyd crew completed their tours in early March 1944, and Cook was recrewed with a newly posted in A/G and W/Op and three members of another 12 Sqn crew that had been broken up in February 1944. Hope this is of interest.
Regards, Mark.

[M sIMPSON]

Looking at Mouchet's service record as digitised at Ancestry.ca, he was posted in to 12 Sqn 20/10/43, attached 1662 C.U. 25/10/43, to 166 Sqn 12/11/43 and to 12 Sqn 26/11/43. The two posting dates for Cook that are preserved in the 12 Sqn O.R.B. are; posted in from 11 Base 25/10/43 and posted in 25/11/43 from 166 Sqn. A quick look at the 166 Sqn O.R.B. shows Cook, Mouchet and the rest of the former Lloyd crew flying one operational sortie 22-23/11/43 on Berlin.
Regards.

[Theo Boiten]

Hi Richard and Mark,

Excellent work, many thanks for sharing these details, which answer all of the questions that I had.

Cheers, Theo