Flying Officer Frank Wilson Wireless operator
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576 Sqn Lancaster PD 309 recovery

150 Squadron R.A.F.

GROUP CAPTAIN TERENCE JOHN ARBUTHNOT

576 Sqn Wing/Cmdr Basil Arthur Templeman-Rooke

576 Sqn Flt/Lt Leslie Brown

576 Sqn. Flt/Sgt Eddie Wise

49 sqn Flt/Lt Charles Dunnet

49 Sqn Fred Cooper.

576 Sqn F/O William Carland Johnston

49 Sqn Flt/Lt Victor Medway Arnold

576 Sqn Flt/Lt Charles Roach

 49 Sqn Sgt. E.B.(Ted) Cachart.

49 Sqn Sgt Douglas D.R. Dalaway

576 Sqn Flt/Lt Bertram W. Roberts

576 Sqn Flt/Sgt Johnny Musgrove

576 Sqn Flying Officer Edward L Saslove

49 Sqn Pilot Officer Edgar R. G. Haines D.F.M.

576 Sqn Flt/Lt Herbert Benson

576 Sqn Flying Officer Frank Wilson

576 Sqn Flt/Sgt Dennis Ovenden

576 Sqn Flt/Sgt Danny Ranchuk

576 Sqn Flt/Sgt Ken Tamkin.

49 Sqn Flying Officer Alexander V Bone

576 Sqn Sgt Stanley Lloyd

576 Sqn Warrant Officer Frederick Taylor, DFM

576 Sqn Warrant Officer Reg Croot

49 Sqn. S/L J.E Raw-Rees D.F.C.

576 Sqn Sgt Alfred Thorpe Turton

 576 Sqn Warrant Officer Eugene Patrick (Jimmy) Collins

576 Sqn. F/O R Bastick & Crew

576 Sqn. Sgt. George Lynn.

576 Sqn Airman Ron Kent

576 Sqn. Sgt. D.Girling.

576 Sqn F/O A.J.L Ridge

576 Sqn F/O Archibald de Largy Greig

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MEMORIAL PAGE

The following details were supplied by Franks sons, Paul and David. Many thanks to David for the testimonial on his father.



 

 

 

 

 

Frank Wilson was born on Christmas day 1922 in Upholland, near Wigan in Greater Manchester.

He attended Ormskirk Grammar School where he captained the school rugby team in his final year.

He joined the RAFVR as an Aircraftsman in August 1941. Following a number of training courses and postings in the UK

he was sent to Canada to train under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

On returning to the UK in 1943 as a trained Wireless Operator and Air Gunner he was commissioned into the RAF

as a Pilot Officer in Dec of that year. In June 1944 he was promoted to Flying Officer and posted to 576 Squadron

operating Lancasters out of RAF Fiskerton where he became a member of Flying Officer Herbert Benson's crew comprising: 

F/O H Benson, P/O H Woolstenhulme,

F/O H G Mather,

F/O P C Milner, F/O Frank Wilson,

Sgt R C Griffiths,

Sgt R Goldsbury.

This crew completed a total of 9 bombing missions to various targets within Germany during November 1944 to January 1945.

 

In January 1945 the crew were moved to Pathfinders 156 Squadron operating out of RAF Warboy, and then RAF Upwood.

P/O H Benson's crew flew a further 7 missions to targets in Germany, the 7th being to Nurnberg on 16th March 1945.

On this mission they were attacked by a Luftwaffe ME 410 fighter and F/O H G Mather, F/O P C Milner, F/O Frank Wilson, Sgt R C Griffiths suffered injuries.

The aircraft made it back to base and the injured airmen were sent to the RAF hospital in Ely.

 As a result of their injuries F/O H G Mather, F/O P C Milner, F/O Frank Wilson, Sgt R C Griffiths were replaced in P/O Benson's crew for the next fateful mission

to Hamburg on 31st March 1945 where the aircraft was shot down with the loss of all crew.

Frank Wilson had flown 16 successful missions with P/O Benson and was undoubtedly affected by the sad loss of the colleagues and friends that he had been through so much with.

 

While receiving treatment at RAF Ely Frank Wilson met his future wife, an RAF nurse, Jean Ellis.

He never returned to flying operations and spent the rest of his RAF service in a number of ground based, administrative roles before leaving the service in June 1948.

In civilian life he became a Customs and Excise Officer initially at Manchester Airport and then at the port of Goole in East Yorkshire.

He died in February 1988 and is survived by 4 sons, one of whom also served in the RAF, and 2 daughters.

 

This Official photo of the crew minus the groundcrew as shown in the crew picture of Flt/Lt Benson
Image of Lancaster H squared taken at Fiskerton Dec. 1944. Crew L to R: P/O H.Woolstenhulme,(Flight Engineer), F/L H. benson, (Pilot.) Sgt. R.Goldsbury,(Rear gunner.) Sgt. R.C.Griffiths,(Mid-Upper gunner.) F/O H.G. Mather (Nav) F/O Wilson (WOP), F/O P.C.Milner, ( Bomb Aimer). Sgt Griffiths, F/O Milner &F/O Wilson were injured on a raid to Nurnberg for which F/O Benson was awarded an immediate D.F.C.

 

 

Lie in the dark and listen.

It’s clear tonight so they are flying high,

 Hundreds of them, thousands perhaps,

 Riding the icy, moonlit sky,

 Men, Machinery, bombs and maps,

 Altimeters, guns, and charts,

 Coffee, Sandwiches, fleece-lined boots,

 English saplings with English roots

 Deep in the earth they’ve left below.

 Lie in the dark and let them go;

 Lie in the dark and listen”

  From “Lie in the dark” Noel Coward 1944

 

F/O Frank Wilson. List of missions – 576 Squadron RAF Fiskerton Oct 1944 to Jan 1945
DateTargetAircraft registration
16th Nov 1944DurenA2 LM594
18th Nov 1944Wanne EickelB2 ME735
27th Nov 1944FreiburgJ2 NF975
29th Nov 1944DortmundT2 PD271
4th Dec 1944KarlsruheC2 ME317
6th Dec 1944MersenburgG2 MN749
12th Dec 1944EssenH2 JB410
17th Dec 1944UlmG2 MN749
5th Jan 1945RoyanI2 IM277