Sgt Ted Mcrea

 

Ted was born in Croydon in June 1925.

After finishing his education, he worked initially for a local builder and then worked as a storeman  for Surrey Flying Services at Hamsey Green. Here started his love of flying.

When the war came, he joined up when he was able and was selected for gunnery training.

After enlisting and going through basic training, he was posted begin his gunnery training.

 

Training

          25/04/1944          11 AGS   Andreas, Isle of Man   (AGS - Air Gunnery School)

          20/05/1944          10 OTU    Abingdon   (OTU - Operational Training Unit)

               08/1944            4 CTS    Acaster Malbis 9CTS - Continuous Training School)

               10/1944          1669 HCU Langar  (HCU - Heavy Conversion Unit)

               12/1944           5 LFS Syerston   (LFS - Lancaster Finishing School)

21/01/1945  Posted to 50 Squadron, RAF Skellingthorpe

Crew.

                                Pilot:            F.O C.J. Evans RNZAF                                                                                    F.Eng:           Sgt D H Millichamp                                                                                        Nav:             F.Sgt T.R Thwaite RNZAF                                                                                B.Aimer:       F.Sgt R.F Carradous RNZAF                                                                            WOP:            F.Sgt I.J. Loveridge  RNZAF                                                                            MUG:            Sgt E.R. McRea                                                                                              RG:               Sgt G.A. Fuller

Operations Flown.

1.      02-03/02/1945    Karlsruhe           Lanc LN296 VN-T                    2.      08-09/02/1945    Politz                         NG271 VN-M                  3.     12-13/02/1945     Dresden                     NG271 VN-M                  4.     19-20/02/1945     Bohlen                       NG271 VN-M                  5.     21-22/02/1945     Mitteland Canal         NG342 VN-S                  6.          24/02/1945     Ladbergen                  NG271 VN-M  Daylight Op  7.          12/03/1945     Dortmund                   NG342 VN-S  Daylight Op  8.     14-15/03/1945     Lutzendorf                  NF922 VN-U                  9.     16-17/03/1945     Wurtzburg                  PB797 VN-?                  10.    20-21/03/1945    Bohlen                       LM296 VN-T                    11.         22/03/1945     Bremen                      NG342 VN-S  Abandoned    12.   23-24/03/1945     Wesel                         SW261 VN-H                  13.   27-28/03/1945     Farge                         RA565 VN-X                    14.   07-08/04/1945     Molbis                        NF922 VN-U                15.   08-09/04/1945     Lutzendorf                 NF922 VN-U                16.        26/04/1945     Op Exodus-Brussels    PD339 VN-J  Daylight Op

Failed to Return to RAF Skellingthorpe     

                      After dropping 26 Ex-POWs at RAF Wing near Aylesbury                                       The crew crashed in low visibility at Delapre Abbey in Northampton                                            on their return journey to RAF Skellinghtorpe                                                       Ted and the rear gunner were the only survivors.                                                 On the 26th April 2025, exactly 80 years after the crash,                                         a memorial bench to the dead of the crew and those civilians                   who helped them was unveiled at Delapre Abbey very close to the crash site.

 

After recovering from his injuries, Ted stayed in the RAF and was posted to India, working as a storeman until he returned home in 1947, when he was demobbed.

Following his demob, Ted returned to Surrey Flying Services for a whilebefore taking a job on the maintainence team at St Lawrences Hospital in Caterham befor etaking up employment with The Post Office in 1957, where he stayed until retiring in 1990.          Ted remained an active member of to 50&61 Squadron Association for the rest of his life. Sadly, Ted passed away on 30th May 2019.

 

 

 

  Ted in later life, still showing his love of planes and flying.