St. Mesmin New Communal Cemetery - Herbert George Ridd

 

Mailly-le-Camp

Before the D-Day operations on the 6^th of June 1944, an operation which was undertaken by the RAF on the night of 3^rd/4^th May 1944, the Bombardment of Mailly-le-Camp.  The mission was to“soften up” the Germans and assign to No.5 Group.

The military base was located at Mailly, just north of the community of Mailly-le-Camp, 80 miles east of Paris.  The camp was built in 1902 and used as a French training centre. During the 1930s, it was used as an armoured formation.  After the Fall of France, in 1940, the Germans used the base to train replacement panzer units.

In 1944, Bomber Command, who were to undertake the mission, had shifted their bombing campaign from the German industrial centres to the destruction of the Wehrmacht’s infrastructure situated in Occupied Europe.  This campaign was to be known as the Transport Plan, which was in preparation for D-Day.

On the night of the 3rd, at 22.07, from RAF Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire, flight LL840 of the 50 Squadron was one of ten squadrons. Their target was Mailly-le-Camp. Before the bombing, Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire of the Pathfinders carried out a successful bombing. However, the lack of communication, the Lancasters bombed an assembly marker.

Mailly-le-Camp bombed

Also, the moon, which, was three quarters wasn’t covered by clouds, resulted in 42 Lancasters being shot down by the Germans.

Avro Lancaster Mk III

Flight LL840, an Avro Lancaster Mk III, was crewed by six men, and was one of those 42 aircraft that crashed at St. Mesmin, a village straddling the railway line between Romilly-sur-Seine and Troyes.

Flight Lieutenant Blackham managed to fly the plane before crashing allowing the crew members to bail out, and an explosion knocked him senseless and hurled through a glass panel.  He recovered consciousness, Blackham, found himself surrounded by flames and he jumped clear before the aircraft exploded.

For this feat, Blackham was awarded the DFC.

The other crew who were killed were

Sergeant William Dennis Dixon, 20 years old.  Son of William and Annie Dixon, of Carway, Carmarthenshire.

Flying Officer David Gwynfor Jones, 24 years old. Husband of Noreen May Jones, of Southall, Middlesex

Sergeant Herbert George Ridd, 29 years old.  Son of Abram John and Mary Elizabeth Ridd, of Swansea

Pilot Officer Cyril Edward Stephensen, 21 years old.  Son of Christian Julius and Marie Louise Aimee Stephensen, of Newtown, Tasmania, Australia.

Pilot Officer Charles Richard Ernest Walton, 28 years old. Son of Charles and Catherine Walton; husband of Constance Phoebe Walton, of Castle Bromwich, Warwickshire

Sergeant Sidney Charles Wilkins, 21 years old. Son of Sidney Charles and Alice Wilkins, of New Cross, London.

All six men are buried at St. Mesmin New Communal Cemetery.  The only war graves in the cemetery.

Herbert George Ridd was born in 1915. At the time of the 1921 Census was residing at his parents’ home, 58 Western Street.  All the family were Swansea born.

1921 Census

John Ridd, 34, was a Baker Bread Maker, whilst Elizabeth, 35 undertook the Home Duties.  Their children were Enid, 11; Olive, 10; Douglas, 8; Thomas, 7; Herbert, 6 and 4-year-old Ronald.

South Wales Daily Post

News reported in South Wales Daily Post, on the 3^rd of August, that Herbert had lost his life involved in the operations that May, information had been received by the International Red Cross.

Herald of Wales

This news was confirmed on the Herald of Wales, on the 12^th.the