Proudfoot, Robert Laval

Personal Information

Rank F/O
Forename(s) Robert Laval
Surname Proudfoot
Gender M
Age 24
Decorations
Date of Death 16-12-1943
Next of Kin Son of Charles Laval Proudfoot and Margaret Rose Proudfoot Husband of Mary Willmott Proudfoot, of Brentwood.
PROUDFOOT RL

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Avro Lancaster III
Serial Number JB596
Markings HW-H

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place Orsett (St. Giles and All Saints) Churchyard
Grave Reference
Epitaph DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI (Latin - IT IS SWEET AND FITTING TO DIE FOR ONE'S COUNTRY. From poem - Dulce et Decorum Est - by Wilfred Owen, published 1920)

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase 1
Panel Number 87

Enlistment Information

Service Number 133419
Service Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Group 1
Squadron 100
Trade Pilot
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location In Wooded Copse, Hatcliffe Top, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Pillar & Inscribed Metal Plaques
Memorial Text Remembering the crew of Avro Lancaster Mk111 JB 596 HW-H-100 Sqdn. Crashed on this site Dec 17th 1943 on return from Berlin. Now harvests og gold corn are gathered, no swords now but ploughshares instead, and the trees of pine stand sentinal, over the fie
View On Google Maps View On what3words
Location Waithe Farm, Waithe, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Marble Stone & Inscribed Brass Plaques
Memorial Text Remembering the crew of Lancaster HW-H JB596 crashed in this area on the 16th December 1943 returning from a raid on Berlin
View On Google Maps View On what3words
Location Off the A16, Holton le Clay, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Pillar & Information Boards
Memorial Text Do not attack the Hornets nest, 100 Squadron Royal Air Force Waltham Grimsby, December 1942 April 1945, Honour the brave
View On Google Maps View On what3words

Miscellaneous Information

Three survivors, all dangerously injured according to the Squadron Record of Events, were pulled from the burning wreck by an off-duty fireman, Andrew Thompson Bell, as he was walking home from duty. He received the King's Commendation for Bravery for his selfless act (gazetted 27 June 1944). All three survived their ordeal: both Sgt. Frederick Taylor (Rear Gunner) and Sgt. Bernard Phillips (Mid-upper Gunner) returned to the squadron in April 1944 and completed their tours whereas Sgt. Leslie Noyes (Navigator) returned to the squadron after six months but never flew again.
A memorial stands at the site of the crash, erected by Roger Stephenson who lived and worked on the farm and recovered fragments of JB596 for years after the incident while working the land. He has also created a small museum to 100 Squadron and JB596 in particular, in Waltham Windmill, the museum of rural life.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The National Archives

Fellow Servicemen

Last Operation Information

Start Date 16-12-1943
End Date 17-12-1943
Takeoff Station Grimsby
Day/Night Raid Night (76% moon)
Operation Berlin
Reason for Loss Crashed at Hatcliff Top near Barnoldby-le-Beck, a couple of miles from the airfield while trying to land in thick fog. The rear gunner, Frederick Taylor, had noticed that they were very low as they regained the shoreline, since he was able to see the breakers despite the fog. He also recalled that some of the instruments were broken due to flak damage sustained while over the target. The aircraft struck the rising ground at a shall angle, attempted to climb but then struck pine trees with one wing and simultaneously struck a farmhouse with the other. The aircraft then stalled, struck the ground again and slid for several hundred yards before coming to rest. Some incendiaries which had hung up caught fire, setting light to the aircraft.
 
 
 
 

Please Wait

Close

Suggest An Edit

Submit a Photo

Once submitted, your photo will be submitted for verification and will be shown on the database record shortly.

Disclaimer I acknowledge that I remain the copyright holder of the original document(s). I hereby grant copyright in the digital version to the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) and I consent to IBCC making digital copies freely available online under a Creative Commons non-commercial licence. IBCC may also use, reproduce or incorporate it into other works in any media, or licence its use for purposes of ensuring the sustainability of its Digital Archive and Losses Database. I understand that digital copies will be owned and controlled by IBCC, and I irrevocably agree to IBCC using and publishing digital copies however it sees fit, but always in line with its responsibilities to preserve and protect such ephemera.

Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.