After 82 Years, Identities of Lost Lancaster Bomber Crew Revealed

Four airmen killed when their Lancaster bomber went down over Germany in December 1944 have finally been identified, ending an 82‑year quest to solve one of Bomber Command’s enduring mysteries.

Today a ceremony at the CWGC’s Venray War Cemetery in the Netherlands paid tribute to Flying Officer Leslie Markland Hough (RAAF), Pilot Officer John Henry Tales (RAFVR), Sergeant Henry Charles Burnside (RAFVR) and Sergeant John Lawson (RAFVR), whose graves had borne only the word ‘unknown’ for decades due to post‑war administrative mix‑ups.

On 8 December 1944, Lancaster PD374 of No. 218 Squadron RAF took off from RAF Methwold in Norfolk, joining over 130 aircraft assigned to strike the Neerbeck oil plant at Homberg in the Ruhr. Of the seven‑man crew, three bailed out and became prisoners of war, while the remaining four perished.

Tracey Bowers, a caseworker with the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, remarked:

Today we honour the British and Australian airmen who served and died together during World War 2. To have so many families present here today has made this occasion especially poignant, and seeing them interacting with members of the local community who have adopted these graves incredibly moving.

Pilot Officer John Tales, born in Attercliffe, Sheffield on 31 December 1917, was one of eleven siblings. He worked as a poster writer before enlisting in the RAF in September 1939, compiling an outstanding service record. Having already completed a full operational tour, he volunteered for another stint and joined No. 218 Squadron in August 1944.

John Tales, nephew of Pilot Officer Tales, who attended the service with other family members, said:

It has been an extremely poignant occasion and we are honoured and quite overwhelmed to have been here. It has been wonderful to learn more about our Uncle John and we would like to thank all those who have made this possible

The aircraft’s captain, Australian Flying Officer Leslie Markland Hough of the RAAF, is said to have stayed at the controls of the burning Lancaster to allow his crewmates to bail out.

The other two honoured airmen were Sergeant Henry Charles Burnside and Sergeant John Lawson. Burnside was noted for his professionalism and immaculate turnout; Lawson, affectionately called “Geordie”, hailed from a mining family in County Durham.

Thurston Lawson, nephew of Sergeant Lawson, who attended the service with his cousin John Lawson, said:

Fantastic day and incredibly memorable. So moving to see so many people here and everyone has been so kind and represented their organisations brilliantly.

The service was led by Reverend Group Captain Ruth Hake, who said:

It is my immense privilege to conduct the ceremony for Fg Off Hough, Plt Off Tales, Sgt Burnside and Sgt Lawson today. They gave their lives in defence of our nation, and in dedicating their graves today with their names rightfully in place, we are able finally, to honour that debt that we all owe to them and their loved ones.

Held more than eight decades after their loss, today’s ceremony ensures that the crew of Lancaster PD374 will be remembered by name rather than as unknown servicemen.

Dr Daniel Seaton, Commemorations Case Officer at the CWGC, commented:

I am delighted that, after so many years, the final resting place of these brave airmen has finally been identified. Their family members, of whom so many were here today, can now visit their known graves in perpetuity. The Commission is pleased to have assisted with this process and will continue to maintain their graves with the utmost care and respect.

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