Stafford, Sefton Died

Back

Personal Information

Rank Sgt
Forename(s) Sefton
Surname Stafford
Gender M
Age 33
Date of Death 01-04-1943
Next of Kin Son of Asa and Rachel Ann Stafford. Husband of Elizabeth Stafford, of South Shore, Blackpool, Lancashire (marriage 1930).
STAFFORD S

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Avro Lancaster III
Serial Number ED626
Markings PM-G

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Netherlands
Burial/Memorial Place Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery
Grave Reference Plot 13. Row 5. Grave 97.
Epitaph MY DEAR HUSBAND SEFTON. TOO DEARLY LOVED TO BE FORGOTTEN. MOLLY, BLACKPOOL

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 101
STAFFORD S

Location

Row -
Panel 101
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 1
Panel Number 101

Enlistment Information

Service Number 1033931
Service Royal Air Force
Group 1
Squadron 103
Squadron Motto Noli me tangere (Touch me not)
Trade Air Gunner
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location Hiederweg, Hulshorst, Gelderland Province
Country the Netherlands
Memorial Type Wooden cross, inscribed metal plaquet & information board
Memorial Text Op 1 April 1943 om 7.22 wur stortte hier een Engelse bommenwerper type Avro Lancaster neer. Deze was op terugreis na een bombardement op de Duitse stad Emmerich. Boven de Veluwe werd hij door een Duitse nachtjager neergeschoten
Translation "On 1 April 1943 Lancaster ED626 of 103 Sqn RAF, while on a raid to Emerich, was shot down by a German nightfighter"
Location All Saints Church, Elsham, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Tablet
Memorial Text Dedicated to all who served at RAF Elsham Wolds on 103 7 576 Squadrons 1941-45
Location Anglian Water Treatment Works, Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Pillar & Plaques
Memorial Text Pillar : RAF Elsham Wolds, 1941-1945, For those who made the great sacrifice. Plaque :This tree is dedicated to all those who served with 103 Squadron Royal Air Force. Plaque : RAF Elsham Wolds, Opened in Summer 1941 as a bomber station in No1 group, it was the home of No103 Squadron and from Elsham Wolds until 1945 Wellington, Halifax and Lancaster aircraft of No 103 and other squadrons flew on bombing missions against targets in Germany and occupied Europe.
Location In front of the mess esplanade, Mailly-le-Camp, 10 - Aube Prefecture
Country France
Memorial Type Stone memorial sculpture, inscribed marble tablets and inscribed metal plaque
Memorial Text En souvenir des heros de la RAF. Qui ont participe au bombardment du camp de Mailly. Unites de la RAF engagees dans le raid sur Mailly-le-Camp, la nuit du 3 au 4 May 1944. N° 9-12-44-49-50-57 61-83-97-100-101 Special Duties Flight-103-105-106-166- 169-192-207-460 (RAAF)-463 (RAAF)-467 (RAAF)-550-576-617- 619-625-626-627-641
Translation "In memory of the RAF heroes who took part in the bombing of Mailly Camp. RAF units engaged in the raid on Mailly-le-Camp, the night of 3-4 May 1944. Squadrons that took part: N° 9-12-44-49-50-57 61-83-97-100-101 Special Duties Flight-103-105-106-166- 169-192-207-460 (RAAF)-463 (RAAF)-467 (RAAF)-550-576-617-619-625-626-627-641"
Location Bawtry Hall, Bawtry, South Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Marble Tablet
Memorial Text In memory of those who did not return 1939 - 1945

Miscellaneous Information

He was a Painter and Decorator in Chadderton before war. No siblings. Moved in 1939 to Blackpool probably due to RAF Basic Training at Blackpool. Joined RAF in July 1941. Sgt. Stafford was wounded after the crash and was taken by the Germans to the "Lichtenberg" Hospital in Amersfoort. He died the same day. For that reason he is the only one of the crew burried in Amersfoort / Oud Leusden cemetery. The other 6 airmen are burried in Harderwijk.
Date of birth 9 September 1909.

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/815/8
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/815/8

Fellow Servicemen

Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.

Name Outcome
Ashcroft E R V (F/O) Died
Burns I C (F/O) Died
Callaghan J E (Sgt) Died
Fry A H (Sgt) Died
O'Donoghue C (S/L) Died
Winn J E (Sgt) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 01-04-1943
End Date 01-04-1943
Takeoff Station Elsham Wolds
Day/Night Raid Day
Operation Emerich
Reason for Aircraft Loss Shot down by a night fighter and crashed at Hulshorst, Holland. Sgt. Stafford survived the crash but died of his wounds later the same day.
Start new losses database search Back
 
 
 
 

Please Wait

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.