Flying Officer Charles Edward Anderson
Unit : 298 Squadron, 38 Group, RAF.
Service No. : 127148
Flying Officer Anderson's aircraft was shot down on the 6th June. The following is his M.I.9 evasion report:
Left : Allied beachhead North of Caen, 7 Jun 44.
Arrived : Newhaven, 8 Jun 44.
Date of Birth : 26 Aug 21.
R.A.F. Service : Since Jan 41.
O.T.U. : No.35 (Greenwood, Canada), No.5 (Long Kesh).
Conversion Unit : Three.
Post in crew : Pilot.
Peacetime Profession : None.
Private Address : 591, Corydon Ave., Winnipeg, Canada.
Other members of crew (believed safe in France):-
Sgt. Annon (navigator)
F/O Evans (bomb aimer)
Sgt. Forrest (flight engineer)
Sgt. Lewis (wireless operator)
Sgt. Reader (rear gunner)
I took off from Tarrant Rushton at 0140 hrs on 6 Jun 44 on a special mission over France.
After we had reached the target and completed our mission the aircraft was hit by Flak and set on fire. I gave the order to abandon aircraft at approximately 0340 hrs. All members of the crew got out successfully.
I landed in an orchard North of Bures (France, 1:250,000, Sheet 8, U 1870), about 10 miles East of Caen. I hid my parachute, harness, and mae west, and lay in a bed of nettles throughout the day. I saw a number of German patrols.
At 2100 hrs I made my way to a farm, where I was given food. I was then warned of an approaching German patrol, so I headed away from it in a southerly direction, accompanied by a Pole whom I had met at the farm. He indicated that he was a deserter from the German Army. After a time I left him and later met a party of British Parachute Troops. They took me to their Battalion Headquarters. I remained there that night and was sent to Divisional Headquarters next morning (7 Jun). I was taken to the beachhead in a car by a War Correspondent and sent to the U.K.