49 sqn Flt/Lt Charles Dunnet

These wonderful sketches entitled: "Lancaster C for Charlie" were supplied by Andrew Macdonald whose Great-Uncle, F/L Charles Dunnet RAFVR was the Pilot.

C for Charlie was ED497, a 49Sqn "A" flight Lancaster based at Fiskerton in 1943. Pilot and crew,

Sgt.R.F.Middlebrook; Sgt. R.G. Smith; Sgt. W.A. Dutton; Sgt. M.F. Haley; P/O C.A. Edwards & Sgt. R.M.W. Selby-Lowndes,

were posted to Fiskerton on May 24th 1943 and were lost just three-weeks later when on 17th June 1943 they were shot down by a German night-fighter

when returning from Cologne. All the crew were killed.

Andrew has commissioned an artist to capture for all time his Great-Uncle's Lancaster as a tribute to him,

crew and the other 55,000 Bomber Command aircrew who lost their lives during the years 1939 to 1945.

Many thanks to the families of the above crew members for allowing their images to be placed on this page.

January 2009. Images number 7 to 17 and the information relating to these images supplied by Mike Muspratt.

His Grandfather was the Navigator of ED 497- Sgt. R.G.Smith.

Lancaster ED 497 C for Charlie.

Flt. Lt. Charles Dunnet, Pilot, aged 24 from Leith,Scotland.

Sgt. Bill Dutton, Bomb-Aimer aged 22 from pleck,Walsall.

Sgt. Robert Smith,Navigator. Aged 21 from Parkstone, Poole, Dorset.

Sgt. Richard Selby-Lowndes, Rear Gunner, age 20 from Gloucestershire.

Pilot Officer Charlie Edwards, Mid-Upper Gunner,Charlie was the youngest member of the crew at aged 20. This photograph of him and his Wife was taken on their wedding day. Their married life was to be short-lived as he was killed in action just a few weeks later.

Robert Smith.

Training Company, 1941. R.G.Smith, back row, 4th from right.

"Some of The Boys"

King George letter to N.O.K.

Scroll for Sgt. Robert Smith.

Left: Sgt. Richard Selby-Loundes, centre: unknown, right: Sgt. Robert Smith.

Robert's Widow Lily, seated holding Bob. With, on left: Ann, ( Mike's Mother, ) and on right: Mary. 1945. Lily never remarried & when she died in 1998 her ashes were taken to Eindhoven to be buried into the grave of her late husband Sgt. R. Smith.

Mary, Ann & Bob Smith photographed after the war at Eindhoven, Netherlands at their Father's grave.His children had first visited his grave in March 1955, paid & organised by the Dutch War Graves Commitee. They stayed at the home of Mr .H.M .Koningin, a prestigious member of the war graves commitee who organised these events at the time.

Photograph taken during the signing of a tablecloth at the Konigin's residence, This tablecloth, was signed by all the children who stayed with them during the organised visits to their Fathers' graves. Nijmegan, Netherlands.

De Laatse Post: the Dutch war graves committee paper, March 1955, Anne, Mary & Bob Smith.

Father & Grandfather, Sgt. R. G. Smith.