Lancaster Bomber families handed unearthed poem about heroes who never came home

02 January 2024 , 16:01

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A poem for a Lancaster Bomber crew who never returned home has been shared with their relatives, 80 years after being written.

A poem for a Lancaster Bomber crew who never returned home has been shared with their relatives, 80 years after being written.

Jean Gibson, from Smethwick, created the poem in 1943 in honour of the airmen ahead of a birthday party they were due to attend. But when the crew was lost before the event took place, the poignant words went into storage for over 70 years. Jean’s son Richard discovered the poem by chance when browsing a book of other poems before her death in 2018. He then set about tracking down relatives of the heroic airmen to share the verse with them for the first time. They discovered their previously unknown nicknames which feature in the heartfelt 1940s poem. The men were part of 626 Squadron and members of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve based at RAF Wickenby in Lincolnshire.

L-R 'The Baron" Upfold, John Stanley, Arthur 'Dinger' Bell, Norman West, George Powell, Cyril 'Corney' Wheatstone, John 'Joey' Smith (kneeling)

Their iconic aircraft crashed near Bremen on January 15, 1944 while on a nighttime mission over Braunschweig. All seven airmen - navigator Sgt Arthur ‘Dinger’ Bell, 22, flight engineer Flt Sgt George Powell, 34, mid upper air gunner Sgt John ‘Joe’ Smith, 20, air bomber Flt Sgt John Stanley, 22, rear air gunner Sgt George ‘The Baron’ Upfold, 21, pilot Officer Norman West, 24, and wireless operator Sgt Cyril ‘Corney’ Wheatstone, 22 - died. Jean lived near Flt Sgt Stanley in Birmingham and was a close friend of his younger sister Mary. The girls had planned a joint 18th birthday party and invited him along with the rest of his crew.

Richard Gibson said he wanted to "bring the names of these young men back from the dead"

Excited by the prospect of meeting the heroes, she was inspired to write a poem to present to them. But tragically the crew, who were mostly in their 20s, were killed in the crash before the party took place. Jean recounted the back story to the poem after her son made the remarkable discovery. Richard, from Rotherwas, Herefordshire, told the BBC: “One poem in this small exercise book just jumped out at me.”

Jean Gibson wrote the poem during WW2 ahead of a birthday party

He then made it his mission to send copies of the poem to relatives of the hero airmen. “I wanted to bring the names of these young men back from the dead, to celebrate their lives and acknowledge their sacrifice,” he said. Among those he contacted was Keith Wheatstone, who was born three months after the death of his wireless operator dad Cyril. Keith discovered for the first time that his dad was given the nickname ‘Corney’ by his crew. He said: “It makes him into a real person rather than someone you read about or see in a photograph.”

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The poem was discovered inside a small exercise book

Keith Wheatstone was born three months after his father died when the bomber was lost

‘In tribute to a Gallant crew from a grateful British subject’

Johnny and Norman, the Baron and Joe,
Corney and Dinger and George Are out in a bomber on every Big Show Their way through the flak they will Forge Bei mir bist du shane (sic)
Is the Lancaster's name It means what we think - you're the tops Norm will pilot you through John will aim his bombs true Until all this monstrosity stops If they're hit by the flak,
There is no turning back They'll go on till the job has been done And with all guns ablaze They'll help put out that maze Of searchlights with the Baron's rear gun When wounded and torn,
Looking slightly forlorn The bomber limps back with it's crew George will care for and tend Every fresh battle scar Till once more she can fly in the blue Then with Dinger, Joe, Corney completing the crew The cream of our land is displayed We humble ourselves when we think of the courage And sacrifices you have made Well we're trying to help you by staying at home Looking after the things that you love And we'll still be waiting when you cease to roam In those treacherous skies high above.

Martin Fricker