Edward Emsley, far left, in photograph taken at RAF Downham Market, 2 May 1945

 

In time to mark the 70th Anniversary of the last Bomber Command raid on Germany during World War Two, this photograph was discovered by Brian Emsley, from Welwyn Garden City, whose father Edward Emsley is shown in the photograph. His father had kept this historic picture in an old album which was found by his son. The date on which the picture was taken is chalked significantly on the side of the bomb, and shows ground and aircrew preparing for a final bombing raid against the Kiel Canal. This was Bomber Command’s final raid of the war.

 

‘The Bomber Command War Diaries’, by Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt, shows there had been no attacks by Bomber Command for several days before this final raid, believing Germany defeated and the war over. However, concerns were raised about ships gathering at Kiel, presumed to take German forces to Norway to continue the fight on.  It was two days after the death of Adolf Hitler. Nazi forces in Berlin were formally surrendering to an advancing Soviet Army. However, Mosquito bombers were sent to attack the airfields around Kiel, carrying out two raids against the port itself … and within thirty-six hours, the town was occupied by Allied forces.

 

On 4 May, Field Marshall Montgomery took the surrender of all German forces, including naval ships, in north-west Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. The final unconditional surrender of all forces was delivered on 7 May 1945.

 

Edward Elmsley was in a reserved occupation at the de Havilland aircraft factory in Hatfield, Herfordshire as war began. He volunteered to join the RAF in 1941, it is believed because many local people were killed at the Hatfield factory when a German bomber made a lone raid that struck the paint shop.

 

No-one else in the photograph has been identified, and if anyone can shed further light on this photograph, or indeed were on this final operation and would like to share their wartime experiences, we would be delighted to hear from you.

 

Final words go to Edward Elmsley’s son: ‘My father wouldn’t have enjoyed the idea of bombing. He was a peaceable, decent man. But he would have loathed tyranny and, by the courage of RAF aircrew whom he supported, totalitarianism in Europe was avoided’.

 

With thanks to Sean Coughlan, BBC News Education Correspondent

 

 

This article is from the Spring 2016 issue of Confound and Destroy