Video made by Bruno Costa.

Date

Location

Force

Aircraft

From-To

Crew

17-09-1943

Vila Chã, Vila do Conde

RAF     619 Sqn

Avro Lancaster III    EE106

Coningsby (GB) → Coningsby (GB)

P/O   Albert William Edward Peter Cartwright   GB

F/L     Jones Stanley Eernest Joseph                 GB

Sgt     Albert Edwards Brooks                             GB

F/O    Arthur David Holding                               GB

Sgt     Gordon Edward Deschaine                       Canada

F/S     Robert Gordon Faux                                GB

Sgt     Charles Smith Cook                                  GB

The aircraft was involved in an attack to the viaducts and railways in the Antheór area, Cannes where the aircraft was hit by Antiaircraft fire.

After the attack they followed to the meeting point in the middle of France, but missed it and made tried to reach England under very thick clouds that prevented them to have visibility over the areas they were flying over.

When they were able to see they were over a city with lights on and not over the North Sea.

They were in fact over northern Spain and had not enough fuel to reach either England or Gibraltar, so they decided to try Portugal, and landed on a beach of Vila Chã, near Vila do Conde.

The crew was transported to the city of Oporto and then to Lisbon. From there they reached Elvas where they were interned between September 28 and October 18, when they were sent home.

F/O Holding died in the night of January 20, 1944 when he was part of the 617 Squadron, one elite unit known as Dambusters.

On 22 November 2015 the local authorities build up a memorial on the beach where the airplane landed that has already been visited by some crew-members families.

Resources:
*  Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War - W.R. Chorley
* Evade & Escape Report - National Archives -  London, Kew
* Ian Shannon
* Ron Bradley & Family of Gordon Edward Deschaine