Loose Cannon brewery in Abingdon have released a beer dedicated to Stan Bradford who had been a local area Lancaster mid upper gunner who was awarded the DFM.
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Flt Sergeant Stan Bradford DFM. A mid-upper gunner on Lancaster ED308 D-Donald of 57 squadron RAF Bomber Command, then based at Scampton. By the end of his tour in March 1944 Stan had become an air Ace, credited by 5 Group with the shooting down of 6 enemy fighters, including a Bf109 over France on his very first operation on the night of August 27th 1943.
However Bruce Robertson 'Lancaster...' states ED308 was lost 18/19 March 1943, five months earlier.
2) The web reports all have ... flying out of Scampton...
Only his first op was from there. 57 Sqn relocated to East Kirkby the following day where they stayed until disbanded. Hence all his other sorties were from EK.
3) Now the East Kirkby history. 'Silksheen' lists the station's awards, of which there were 56 DFMs for 57 Sqn (plus 1 with bar), but Stan Bradford's name does not appear.
4) pbs.twimg.com/media/Bh6S6OMIIAAZHve.jpg Note the aircraft shown ND472 began ops in January 1944 and ended its life at East Kirkby on 17 April 1945 when its neighbour PB360 blew up in a fire following bombing up. Six aircraft were destroyed.
Serious military history is not easy!
Plan A is always more effective when the problem you are working on understands that Plan B will involve the use of dynamite
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