Mystery of lost Sheffield Second World War bomber hero finally solved after 82 years
For 80 years, the fate of Sheffield RAF war hero John Tales was a mystery. He died after his Lancaster bomber crashed - shot down by anti-aircraft guns over the Netherlands in December 1944, as the Second World War raged across Europe.
For generations, no one knew where he was buried. But now, 82 years later, he finally has a known grave after a long search uncovered the truth behind one of Bomber Command's wartime mysteries.
On the morning of December 8, 1944, Lancaster bomber PD374 of 218 Squadron RAF took off from RAF Methwold in Norfolk - one of 130 sent to attack the Neerbeck oil plant at Homberg in Germany's Ruhr region. Pilot Officer Tales was aboard as the flight engineer.
After the plane caught fire, eyewitness accounts suggested the pilot remained at the controls of the burning aircraft to give others the opportunity to escape and four men managed to bale out, including Pilot Officer Tales. But records show he was then shot dead on the ground by the SS - a unit of extreme Nazis. He was aged just 26.
From the seven-man Lancaster crew, three who escaped by parachute were taken as Prisoners of War and other four lost their lives, including John, from Attercliffe. The remains of all four who had died were left in graves marked ‘unknown’ for decades following a series of post-war administrative errors. But now, they have been finally given names at a ceremony in Netherlands.
The service earlier this month was organised by the UK MOD’s ‘War Detectives’ and held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Venray War Cemetery. It was held for the pilot, Flying Officer Leslie Markland Hough, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF); and the other crew members who died - Pilot Officer John Henry Tales, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR); Sergeant Henry Charles Burnside RAFVR and Sergeant John Lawson RAFVR.
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Among those present at the service was John’s nephew, also called John, and other family members. “It was an extremely poignant occasion and we were honoured and quite overwhelmed to have been there,” says nephew John. “It was wonderful to learn more about our Uncle John and we would like to thank all those who made it possible.”
Pilot Officer Tales born in 1917 and one of 11 children, worked as a poster writer before enlisting in the RAF in September 1939 where he built an exemplary service record. Despite having already completed a full operational tour, he volunteered to return to frontline operations and joined No. 218 Squadron in August 1944.
Reflecting on the service, Dr Daniel Seaton, Commemorations Case Officer at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission says: “I am delighted that, after so many years, the final resting place of these brave airmen has been identified. Their family members can now visit their known graves in perpetuity. The Commission will continue to maintain their graves with the utmost care and respect.”