The story of
100 Squadron RAF
and her crew.
On board LM658 that night was a crew of eight, rather than the usual seven.
Pilot - Flt/Lt Harold (Bill) Paston-Williams of Dorking, Surrey.
2nd Pilot - Flt/ Lt Christopher Holland of Horsham Sussex.
Navigator - P/O Gerald Hood of Croydon Surrey.
Bomb aimer - P/O Benjamin Ramsden of Bradford, West Yorkshire
Flight engineer - Flt/Sgt John Downie of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire.
Wireless operator - Flt/Sgt Laurence Roy Watts of Fawler, Oxfordshire.
Mid upper gunner - Flt/Sgt Robert Stanley Williams of Queensferry, Flintshire.
Rear gunner - P/O Bruce Arnold David (R.C.A.F) of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Avro Lancaster LM 658 (HW-W) Crew List and Summary of Established Personal Details Age and status details as of 12/08/44 The names of the LM658 crew are now inextricably linked with the events of that August night over occupied Europe and this page links the biographical details for each member of the crew. Details are of course incomplete but we're adding more information & photographs as they come to light. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you feel you can add anything to this … [Read More...]

Flying Officer Gerald Hood (Navigator LM658) 1922-1945 "Gefusilleerd Door De Bezetter" (Executed By The Invaders) On the outskirts of the village of Zenderen, near to Almelo in the province of Overijssel, Eastern Netherlands, there is a path leading through the wooded area known as "De Vloedbeld," should you ever walk this way you will come across an impressive bronze memorial statue in a clearing. Nearby are several white tablets laid in memory of local Dutch patriots who lost their … [Read More...]
On this particular night a second pilot, Flt /Lt Holland was present in the cockpit for his operational familiarisation trip, referred to by the crews as a "second dickie."
At around 0110 local time LM658 had crashed in flames on farmland near the town of Hardenberg, to the North of Almelo, Eastern Holland. Four of the crew perished in the crash, four baled out successfully, one of whom would eventually meet a most tragic end.
LM658… Just one of many, one Lancaster, one crew of eight individual men brought together from all walks of life, with a common purpose, to do their duty. This is their story, with particular emphasis on the remarkable and tragic fate of the navigator P/O Gerald Hood, but let it stand as a tribute to all who served with RAF Bomber Command during 1939-45, especially to the 55770 who paid the ultimate price in the name of freedom, their stories should be told and never forgotten.
This site supports the campaign to honour all who flew with Bomber Command during 1939-45 (whatever their nation of birth) with a long overdue campaign medal.


A few of Alan's typos corrected. (Couldn't have been mine of course! :) ) A great photo of Rob Stevens, Son of Stevie Stevens in the pilot's seat and Alastair Taylor son of Charlie Taylor in the flight engineer's … [Read More...]
With many thanks indeed, largely to James Boyle & Brian Angel, we've been able to update a number of photos around the site. Have a look at the excellent photos of James Boyle's crew and there's a few new photos of … [Read More...]
Thanks to the assistance of his son Alan, we're delighted to have updated the biography of Bill Paston-Williams, a consumate aviator. Alan Barrow's footnote speaks for all of us involved in telling the story of LM658. … [Read More...]
...have just been advised by Mr Mike Monitz, a former pupil of the Royal Russell School that some of the senior boys used to sometimes take a highly illicit visit to a local pub called "The Sandrock"...surely Gerald … [Read More...]
Some additional information & photos added to the biography of Laurence Roy Watts. We'll be adding more photos & information into other biographies as we receive them. Please do sign the guestbook & say … [Read More...]
Paddy from "The Fedora Lounge" 1940's culture forum, we would like to know more about the origins of the very interesting material you have posted, feel free to get in touch sir! … [Read More...]
Glad to see that the LM 658 website is yeilding the results I had hoped it would! Only recently we have had contact from the family of Flt Lt "Stevie" Stevens who took over as the skipper of the crew left behind … [Read More...]
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Association.
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