DICKENSON, Gordon Leonard. PM. WW2. CWGC.

Died 06/03/1945 Age 22. Flight Sergeant, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 207 Sqdn. Service Number 1583075. Son of Leonard Joseph and Hester Henstock Dickenson, of Derby.

Gordon Leonard Dickenson – (1922 – 1945).

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Service Number – 1583075. Flight Sergeant/Pilot. Served with 207 Squadron of Bomber Command, stationed at RAF Spilsby, Lincolnshire.

Gordon Leonard Dickenson was born 03 May 1922, 1 Great Northern Road, Derby, to Joseph Leonard Dickenson and his wife Hestor Henstock James. Gordon grew up in Derby with an older brother, Charles James, and two younger sisters, Kathleen and Barbara.

Gordon (nickname Dickie) was a qualified Pilot.  He had joined the RAFVR as a Flight Engineer due to there being a shortage of Flight Engineers at that time.

He had been with 207 Squadron for 3 years on the night of 5/6th March 1945, which was to be his last flight. His aircraft was the Avro Lancaster B MK III, Registration ME386 - EM-G, nicknamed by the 7-member crew as “G-George”.

Gordon was killed on the return flight from a Bombing operation on an Oil Plant in Bohlen, Germany, his severely damaged aircraft crashing as it reached the Grand Sluice, in the River Haven, near Boston, Lincolnshire. Three other crew members were killed, with the surviving three crew members being picked up from the aircrafts dinghy by local fishermen.

Gordon Leonard Dickenson is buried in Nottingham Road Cemetery, Derby, Plot A2-79F. (Fire station side)

Last Flight.

On the 5th March 1945, the squadron were advised (War Call) that a Bombing raid was planned for later that night. The target was to be a Synthetic Oil Plant in Bohlen on the Polish/Czech border. In total there were 350 Aircraft from 5 Group Bomber Command taking part. Duration of the Operation was to be 9 or 10 hours.

“G-George” took off from Spilsby at 20:10hrs on the night of 5th March. Once they crossed into Germany the group were attacked by enemy flak. G-George/ME386 was hit through the turret injuring the wireless operator. The aircraft continued with the flight plan to reach the “target” and just as they were starting the “run in” to drop the bombs, the aircraft was again hit by flak, tearing a gash in the side of “G-George”, injuring one of the Air Gunners. Crew continued with the run-in and successfully dropped all bombs on target.

Unfortunately, as the aircraft turned for home, it took another hit from enemy shelling. This time in the port engine setting it on fire, which “Dickie” managed to put out. Another shell hit over the top of the aircraft, penetrating the “Glasshouse” knocking out all the instrumentation. The Navigator managed to guide the aircraft home by following the stars and with the help of the Pilots’ small handheld compass.

Once over allied territory the crew had started to relax before unexpectedly being hit from flak being fired below. Several shells struck the aircraft, resulting in injuries to three members of the crew.  

G-George limped home, across the channel and up the east coast to Spilsby. Due to a combination of no aircraft instrumentation and thick low cloud the aircraft crashed into the Grand Sluice in the River Haven. Four of the crew were killed, the surviving three were picked up by a fishing boat out of Boston. The survivors were taken to the RAF hospital at Rauceby.

G-George crew members:

Sergeant Derek John Browne – Navigator.

Sergeant Walter Theophilus George Cobden – Air Bomber.

Flight Sergeant Gordon Leonard Dickenson – Pilot.

Flying Officer Albert Harry Wakeling – Pilot.

Sergeant Thomas Beattie – Wireless Operator (Survived).

Sergeant John Ernest Brett – Air Gunner (Survived).

Sergeant Alfred John Percy Clark – Air Gunner (Survived).

There is a moving personal account of the last flight (The Stars Will Remember Us) by John Ernest Brett (later awarded the BEM medal). This account is available here. Link.