PETRIDES BO
Petrides, Basil Oliver
Personal Information
| Rank | F/L |
| Forename(s) | Basil Oliver |
| Surname | Petrides |
| Gender | M |
| Age | 22 |
| Decorations | DFM |
| Date of Death | 21-02-1944 |
| Next of Kin | Son of Basilius Cecil and Olive Petrides. Husband of Anne Merriel Petrides, of East Dean, Sussex. |
Aircraft Information
| Aircraft | Avro Lancaster III |
| Serial Number | ND345 |
| Markings | GT-C |
Memorial Information
| Burial/Memorial Country | Germany |
| Burial/Memorial Place | Rheinberg War Cemetery |
| Grave Reference | 8. C. 4. |
| Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
| Phase | 2 |
| Panel Number | 225 |
Enlistment Information
| Service Number | 115353 |
| Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
| Group | 8 |
| Squadron | 156 |
| Squadron Motto | We light the way |
| Trade | WOp/AG |
| Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
| Location | St. Mary Magdalene Church, Warboys, Cambridgeshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Stained Glass Window & Inscribed Slate Tablet |
| Memorial Text | We light the way" This tablet is placed in memory of Flight Lieutenant JL Sloper DFC and Bar, RAFVR. And in tribute to all who served with 156 Squadron Path Finders Force at RAF Warboys, 1942-1945, In gratitude. |
| Location | Tithe Farm, Warboys, Cambridgeshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Brick Pillars and inscribed Metal Plaques |
| Memorial Text | From this RAF Station Warboys 156 squadrons No 8 (PFF) group, marked targets for Bomber Command 1942-1944 |
Miscellaneous Information
| Details reproduced by kind permission of https://www.greeks-in-foreign-cockpits.com): Basil’s father was Basilius Petrides who had Greek Ancestry (his relatives originated from the Island of Symi) and was educated at Dulwich College in England, the same school that Basil attended. He was a businessman who worked in Nicosia, Cyprus before retiring to run a small holding in East Sussex, England. Basil Petrides initially joined the RAF as a Sgt. and served a tour of duty with No. 50 Squadron, at RAF Waddington, as a Wireless Operator – Airplane Gunner (WoAG) in Hampdens. He flew his first mission, a mine-dropping (Gardening) operation, on 18/19 May 1941, joining P/O Abbot's crew manning the AD852. He flew his second operational sortie 13 days later, on 2/3 June, targeting Dusseldorf. The bomber reached its target and dropped its bombs from 13,000 ft in poor visibility. The flak was heavy and accurate, and shrapnel destroyed the centre panel of the pilot’s windscreen. Petrides and the rest of the crew were lucky this time and headed for their base, landing almost 7 hours after their takeoff. Basil flew 17 more missions up to the end of August, flying with various bombers and occasionally with different crews. On 27 August 1941 Basil and his crew were scheduled for a bombing mission, flying the Hampden X.2991 but they crashed on take-off, however without anyone injured. It was a close call considering that the bomber was fully armed with bombs. Meanwhile, 50 Squadron had already moved to Swinderby on the 19 July 1941. September was going to be quite intense for Basil. The month began with a Gardening mission during the night between 6/7 September 1941 and one day later he flew a bombing sortie against Kassel, attached to P/O Smith's crew. Despite excellent weather conditions with no clouds, good visibility, and a bright moon, the primary target was not found. On arrival, a large town was found on the side of a river believed to have been Hersfeld. After dropping bombs from 2,000 ft, the railway lines and sidings were machined gunned by Sgt. Petrides and Sgt. Hudson, inflicting further damage. The opposition was slight and the bomber escaped back to England. Two nights later, on 12/13 September 1941, the same crew were lucky. The target was Frankfurt. The weather conditions were a little cloudy with moderate visibility over the target area. A gliding attack was made from 11,000 ft to 5,000 ft, with bombs being seen to burst, although one bomb failed to release. The aircraft was caught in a cone of 40 searchlights and all types of flak shot up against Hampden AE251, but it managed to get out intact. Petrides flew no more operations for almost a month and had probably been granted some well deserved leave, after 21 missions. He returned to Waddington and flew again on 12/13 October 1941, in Squadron Leader Pott's crew aboard AE306, for an operation against a synthetic oil factory in Huls. Their aircraft dived on target but was caught in the searchlights, and the flak opened up. They released the bombs from 2,200 ft and while taking evasive action they took a hit which was heard as a sharp crack. Several more minor hits were sustained but the airplane and its crew escaped. Basil Petrides flew 7 more missions before his tour ended. During his last sortie, he was flying with P/O Smith crew in P2094. The mission was to intrude on the searchlight belt and bomb targets in Belgium. They successfully did this and they dropped their bombs near Maastricht while Sgt. Petrides and Sgt. Petterson machine gunned the searchlights effectively. On their return journey, the aircraft was hit over Antwerp, and the port engine and petrol tanks were holed. For his actions with 50 Squadron, Basil was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal. Later he gained a commission and was promoted to F/Lt and eventually joined No. 156 (Pathfinder) Squadron as a Radio Operator, flying Avro Lancasters at RAF Warboys in Cambridgeshire. He joined the Squadron in December 1943, and he was attached to F/L MacKay's crew, who had recently been posted from 101 Squadron. Basil flew his first operation in Lancaster III JA702 against Berlin on 20 January 1944. The next day was Magdeburg on ND422 and a few days later, during the night of 27/28 January, it was Berlin again. Flying one more time in ND422, McKay began his run after reaching his IP. Shortly after they were attacked by a German night fighter which caused some damage. The pilot had wire tied around his back to the control column due to damage to the elevator trim. They pressed their attack, dropped the bombs from 20,000 ft height, and turned back home. Petrides and the rest of MacKay's crew were not tasked again until 12 February 1944: a bombing mission against Berlin aboard Lancaster III ND345, which they completed. They were also successful on their next operation three days later, targeting Leipzig. Unfortunately, Basil’s luck runs out on 20 February 1944. It was the first day of a series of attacks from both USAAF 8th Bomber Command and RAF Bomber Command on strategic targets against Germany by day and night, known as the Big Week. The allied bombers unloaded some 19,000 tons of bombs on the German aircraft industry in a coordinated round-the-clock offensive. However, the losses were high for both attacking forces with 224 American and 157 British bombers failing to return in just a week of sustained operations. During the RAF Bomber Command attack against Stuttgart 598 bombers attacked, losing 9 or 10 bombers, including Petrides Lancaster III ND345 which was shot down by flak. All the crew were killed apart from the pilot Donald Mackay who was blown through the windscreen, landed safely, and was captured a few days later. He was then sent to Stalag Luft 3 and at the end of the war was repatriated to his home in Canada. The losses for the RAF could be much higher, but a formation consisting of 156 aircraft, supported by night intruder Mosquitos over Nachtjagd airfields acted as a faint bomber force that confused the Germans. Basil and the rest of the six crew members who died are buried side by side, each with individual headstones, in the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Rheinberg Germany. Basil was only 22, had been married for only 3 months to Anne Merriel Stallebrass from East Dean on 19th November 1943, and never met his son Alan who was born in November 1944. His memory is also honored in a Stone Plaque dedicated to him in the English Church in Kyrenia, Cyprus as well as on the war memorial at Ewhust Green and the memorial at Holy Trinity Church, Sydenham. |
| DFM Citation, which appeared without citation in the London Gazette, dated 13 February 1942): "This airman has displayed outstanding ability as a WoAG throughout the many sorties in which he has participated. One night in September 1940, Sergeant Petrides machine-gunned trucks and wagons in a railway siding and set two of them on fire, On another occasion in November he used his guns with such good effect that he extinguished six searchlights. This airman has not had a wireless failure in any operation in which he has been engaged. He has shown great keenness and set a fine example". |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
| Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1042/4 |
| Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1042/3 |
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.
Last Operation Information
| Start Date | 20-02-1944 |
| End Date | 21-02-1944 |
| Takeoff Station | Warboys |
| Day/Night Raid | Night (14% moon) |
| Operation | Stuttgart. 598 aircraft, 9 losses (1.5%), excluding losses on return to base, which numbered 5. The minimal losses were due to two successful diversionary raids- one being a North Sea sweep and the other to Munich. Stuttgart was cloud covered and bombing scattered but the local report states that much damage was caused to the centre of the city and in the NE and NW suburbs. The Bosch dynamo, pump and magneto factory was the most strategic hit. 125 killed on the ground and 510 injured. |
| Reason for Loss | Hit by flak at 20000' on return leg while over Mannheim and exploded. The pilot, F/L D K Mackay DFC was thrown clear and became a PoW |