Aviation Art Prints .com Home Page
Order Helpline (UK) : 01436 820269

You currently have no items in your basket

Join us on Facebook!

Payment Options Display
Buy with confidence and security!
Publishing historical art since 1985

Follow us on Twitter!
SEE HALF PRICE AND FREE PRINT SPECIAL OFFER AVIATION ART PRINTS - ALL SALES FUND OUR HISTORICAL DATABASES - CLICK HERE
Don't Miss Any Special Deals - Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
Aircraft
Search
Squadron
Search
Artist
Search
Signature
Search
Air Force
Search

Product Search         
Click Here For Full Artist Print Indexes Aviation History Archive
ALWAYS GREAT OFFERS :
20% FURTHER PRICE REDUCTIONS ON HUNDREDS OF LIMITED EDITION ART PRINTS
BUY ONE GET ONE HALF PRICE ON THOUSANDS OF PAINTINGS AND PRINTS
FOR MORE OFFERS SIGN UP TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER



Lancaster ED936 - Aircraft Details - Aviation Directory

Lancaster ED936


Type : Lancaster
Last Flew : 29th July 1947
Known Codes :
AJ-H


Known information
12th May 1943Joined No.617 Sqn
16th May 1943Took part in the Dambusters raid. Hit sea while flying at low level, lost Upkeep mine, scooped up seawater and very nearly crashed. As the aircraft climbed away from the water to return to base, the rear turret and gunner were almost swept away by the water. Aborted mission and returned to base. Crew : Pilot Officer Geoffrey Rice (Pilot), Sergeant Edward Clarence Smith (Flight Engineer), Flying Officer Richard MacFarlane (Navigator), Warrant Officer Chester Bruce Gowrie (Wireless Operator), Warrant Officer John William Thrasher (Bomb Aimer), Sergeant Thomas W Maynard (Front Gunner), Sergeant Stephen Burns (Rear Gunner).
29th July 1947Scrapped.



Artwork Featuring this Aircraft




A Lucky Escape by Ivan Berryman.

Pilots and Aircrew who flew : Lancaster ED936
A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking their name.
NameInfo
Burns, Stephen
Click the name above to see a profile of Burns, Stephen

   Died : 21 / 12 / 1943
Burns, Stephen

He was Rear Gunner on Lancaster ED936 AJ-H of No.617 Sqn on the Dambusters raid of 16th May 1943. The aircraft clipped the surface of the North Sea while flying low en route to the target, ripping the Upkeep mine from the aircraft and scooping up some seawater. Amazing, the aircraft did not crash, and despite the rear gunner almost being washed away by the rush of seawater as the aircraft climbed, managed to return to base. He was later killed in action on 21st December 1943.
Gowrie, Chester Bruce
Click the name above to see a profile of Gowrie, Chester Bruce

   Died : 21 / 12 / 1943
Gowrie, Chester Bruce

He was Wireless Operator on Lancaster ED936 AJ-H of No.617 Sqn on the Dambusters raid of 16th May 1943. The aircraft clipped the surface of the North Sea while flying low en route to the target, ripping the Upkeep mine from the aircraft and scooping up some seawater. Amazing, the aircraft did not crash, and despite the rear gunner almost being washed away by the rush of seawater as the aircraft climbed, managed to return to base. He was later killed in action on 21st December 1943.
MacFarlane, Richard
Click the name above to see a profile of MacFarlane, Richard

   Died : 21 / 12 / 1943
MacFarlane, Richard

He was Navigator on Lancaster ED936 AJ-H of No.617 Sqn on the Dambusters raid of 16th May 1943. The aircraft clipped the surface of the North Sea while flying low en route to the target, ripping the Upkeep mine from the aircraft and scooping up some seawater. Amazing, the aircraft did not crash, and despite the rear gunner almost being washed away by the rush of seawater as the aircraft climbed, managed to return to base. He was later killed in action on 21st December 1943.
Maynard, Thomas W
Click the name above to see a profile of Maynard, Thomas W

   Died : 21 / 12 / 1943
Maynard, Thomas W

He was Front Gunner on Lancaster ED936 AJ-H of No.617 Sqn on the Dambusters raid of 16th May 1943. The aircraft clipped the surface of the North Sea while flying low en route to the target, ripping the Upkeep mine from the aircraft and scooping up some seawater. Amazing, the aircraft did not crash, and despite the rear gunner almost being washed away by the rush of seawater as the aircraft climbed, managed to return to base. He was later killed in action on 21st December 1943.
Rice, Geoffrey
Click the name above to see a profile of Rice, Geoffrey

   Died : 0 / 11 / 1981
Rice, Geoffrey

Pilot Offcier geoffrey Rice was born on 4th January 1917. Geoff Rice joined the RAF in 1941 and was posted to No.57 Sqn on 20th February 1943. Joining No.617 Sqn on 26th March 1943, he was promoted to Flying Officer on 20th August 1943 and awarded the DFC on 16th November 1943. He was later promoted to Flight Lieutenant. He was shot down on 20th December 1943, but was hidden by the French Resistance for six months before being captured. He was taken prisoner of war until the end of the war, not returning to the UK until 10th May 1945. Geoff Rice passed away in November 1981 in Somerset. He was Pilot on Lancaster ED936 AJ-H of No.617 Sqn on the Dambusters raid of 16th May 1943. The aircraft clipped the surface of the North Sea while flying low en route to the target, ripping the Upkeep mine from the aircraft and scooping up some seawater. Amazing, the aircraft did not crash, and despite the rear gunner almost being washed away by the rush of seawater as the aircraft climbed, managed to return to base.
Smith, Edward Clarence
Click the name above to see a profile of Smith, Edward Clarence

   Died : 21 / 12 / 1943
Smith, Edward Clarence

He was Flight Engineer on Lancaster ED936 AJ-H of No.617 Sqn on the Dambusters raid of 16th May 1943. The aircraft clipped the surface of the North Sea while flying low en route to the target, ripping the Upkeep mine from the aircraft and scooping up some seawater. Amazing, the aircraft did not crash, and despite the rear gunner almost being washed away by the rush of seawater as the aircraft climbed, managed to return to base. He was later killed in action on 21st December 1943.
Thrasher, John William
Click the name above to see a profile of Thrasher, John William

   Died : 21 / 12 / 1943
Thrasher, John William

He was Bomb Aimer on Lancaster ED936 AJ-H of No.617 Sqn on the Dambusters raid of 16th May 1943. The aircraft clipped the surface of the North Sea while flying low en route to the target, ripping the Upkeep mine from the aircraft and scooping up some seawater. Amazing, the aircraft did not crash, and despite the rear gunner almost being washed away by the rush of seawater as the aircraft climbed, managed to return to base. He was later killed in action on 21st December 1943.



Squadrons for : Lancaster ED936
A list of all squadrons known to have flown Lancaster ED936. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name.
SquadronInfo

No.617 Sqn RAF

Country : UK
Founded : 23rd March 1943

Apres mois, le deluge - After me, the flood

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.617 Sqn RAF

No.617 Sqn RAF

Full profile not yet available.



Aircraft type : Lancaster
A profile page including a list of all art prints for the Lancaster is available by clicking the aircraft name.
AircraftInfo

Lancaster



Click the name above to see prints featuring Lancaster aircraft.

Manufacturer : Avro
Production Began : 1942
Retired : 1963
Number Built : 7377

Lancaster

The Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four engines. The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started operations in March 1942. By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56 squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being No.44 Squadron. During World War Two the Avro Lancaster flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 618,378 tonnes of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Lancaster Bomberss took part in the devastating round-the-clock raids on Hamburg during Air Marshall Harris' Operation Gomorrah in July 1943. Just 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and the Lancaster was scrapped after the war in 1947. A few Lancasters were converted into tankers and the two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster and were used in the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. A famous Lancaster bombing raid was the 1943 mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Also famous was a series of Lancaster attacks using Tallboy bombs against the German battleship Tirpitz, which first disabled and later sank the ship. The Lancaster bomber was the basis of the new Avro Lincoln bomber, initially known as the Lancaster IV and Lancaster V. (Becoming Lincoln B1 and B2 respectively.) Their Lancastrian airliner was also based on the Lancaster but was not very successful. Other developments were the Avro York and the successful Shackleton which continued in airborne early warning service up to 1992.



Return to Aviation Directory Search Home

Contact Details
Shipping Info
Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy
Privacy Policy
Classifieds

Join us on Facebook!

Sign Up To Our Newsletter!

Stay up to date with all our latest offers, deals and events as well as new releases and exclusive subscriber content!

This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts.  Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE

Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269.  Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com

Follow us on Twitter!

Return to Home Page