Hi Everyone,
Just found this forum & as I have a "long shot" enquiry with regard to a Stirling, I thought that it made sense to ask here! It's a little long, so please bear with me
I'm researching an RAF pilot (Flt Lt John Worthington Harder 119026 - an American citizen) who ended up as a PoW & was briefly held in a wooden shed in Normandy now owned by a friend. Although he was flying Spitfires when he was shot down, in his earlier career, it would appear that he flew with Bomber Command & photographic evidence (unfortunately his logbook covering that period is missing) that at least some of this time was in Stirlings (he's shown in the pilot's seat with the caption "Bus driver").
I've seen his RAF record & this does not record any Squadron posting for Bomber Command.
However, there's a lot of other information within the collection of documents & photographs of his that I have seen that makes me wonder whether it is possible to track him back into his Bomber Command days (& probably with a Stirling)...
In summary, within Harder's photographs is one of a shot-up Lancaster & for a fighter pilot that doesn't make sense unless, perhaps he knew someone from the Lancaster crew...
I have a theory…
During training, John Harder flew Stirling bombers. Whilst he was grounded due to problems with his eyesight (as referred to in letters home) his “usual” crew (excluding M/Upper gunner Taggart - Taggart.JH RCAFAir gunner K-206351 J-93454) were killed in action. The evidence for this is in a letter home dated 6th July 1942…
…”I regret to say that this is not a very happy letter. Five of my best friends were killed in action a little while ago and as the six of us had always gone through everything together it sort of leaves me lonely not to have them around…. On top of that, some silly old woman of a medical officer has grounded me again – he thinks permanently…”
“As far as Lewis is concerned … tell him not to look at flak, flash and flaming onions at night as it will ruin your bloody eyes for months; I know. Nothing permanent, sort of like snow blindness. Mine are serviceable, but a lot of fellows’ aren’t. Also tell him to avoid Catalinas, they’re cold meat these days…”
A Mk III Stirling had a crew of 7, Harder, Taggart & the 5 men who died as above. There is also a photo in his album of some grave markers with the caption: “August 17th 1942, F Freddie’s crew, pilot was Ellerton”. Again, there is a discrepancy with dates, but as the photo album was put together post war this is not to be unexpected; the name “Ellerton” does not feature in any casualty lists for the period, either.
The matching of a crew with a new pilot may have contributed to their loss in action.
Continuing with the theory… Harder and Taggart then remained in contact despite being in different Commands of the RAF and Taggart provided Harder with a copy of the photograph of his damaged turret after the war (or perhaps even sent it to him during the war) as a reminder of his “close shave”.
There's a fuller version of this tale on my website (
http://www.menintheshed.com/the-men/men ... 4squadron/) but I wonder whether anyone here with access to more detailed Squadron records than I have are able to shed any light at all on this?