Lancaster pilot – F/Lt Bill North, 61 squadron, RAF Skellingthorpe, 1944.
‘We were coned for about 5 minutes by more than 26 searchlights.’
Mid-upper gunner – W/O Dennis Bartlett, 61 squadron.
‘When we were coned it was so bright, we virtually got blinded.’
Mid-upper gunner – Percy Cannings, 97 squadron, Pathfinder Force.
‘The main problem in being coned was, both gunners and pilot lose all vestige of night vision for at least 15 minutes; even if one catches you in passing – I did not like searchlights at all!!’
61 Squadron Operations – The ‘North Crew’.
24/25 June 1944 – Ops to Prouville, Par de Calais – Flying bomb site.
Lancaster Mk III – EE186, QR-D – Detailed bombing height 11,000 ft, bomb load 8,538 lbs, 21 Lancasters detailed.
Read about the ‘North Crews’ remarkable escape from searchlights that night, and many other extraordinary brushes with death, in –
Riding in the Shadow of Death, by Chris Keltie is now available on Amazon, from Chris Keltie Publishing – £12.99, plus £2.80 p+p.
Also available via PayPal direct from Chris Keltie Publishing at chriskeltie75@gmail.com
Next-day delivery – £12.99 + £2.80 p+p – UK only – Outside UK, please confirm P+P prices with Chris.
This image is of BBMF ‘City of Lincoln’ Lancaster, PA474 – Thumper. Taken at the 50 and 61 squadron Memorial Day Flypast, 10 June 2012. (Edited in ACDSee)
Lancaster ‘coned’ by searchlights, 1944
