Sergeant 1481549 Stephen Joseph Cassell

BMD details:
Marriage of Stephen J Cassell to Joan E Prescott reg Q1 1943 St Helens. Vol 8b page 1111

Family details:
Son of Henry Alma and Catherine Frances Cassell, of St. Helens, Lancashire; husband of Joan E. Cassell, of St. Helens.

Census details:
1939 Register. 6 members of the household are redacted including Stephen J. Father Harry A Cassell born 06/02/1889 a Grocer Shop Keeper and mother Catherine F Cassell born 18/08/1882 an Unpaid Domestic are living at 172 & 170 Elephant Lane, St Helens.

[center][pic2]imgs/sppics/100_sqd.jpg[/pic2][/center] [pic]imgs/sppics/lancaster_3.jpg[/pic] Avro Lancaster Mark 3 (Seriel number ED647 HW-T) Took off at 21:24 Hrs, target was Peenemunde. The aircraft crashed in the location of the target with all of the crew being lost. Operation Hydra was a Royal Air Force attack on the Peenemunde Army Research Centre on the night of 17/18 August 1943. It began the Operation Crossbow Stretegic bombing campaign against the German V-Weapon Programme (324 Lancasters, 218 Halifaxes, and 54 Stirlings took part in the raid). At a cost of 215 British aircrew members, 40 bombers, and hundreds of civilian deaths in a nearby concentration camp; the air raid killed 2 V-2 rocket scientists and delayed V-2 rocket test launches for seven weeks. The counterattack on Operation Hydra included about 30 Focke - Wulf FW 190 night fighters which shot down 29 of the 40 bombers lost during Operation Hydra. [pic]imgs/WW2_misc/WW2_ROH_Cassell_SJ.jpg[/pic][caption]From The Local Press - Courtesy Jeff Keenan[/caption] [pic]imgs/sppics/runnymede144.jpg[/pic][caption]Stephen is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial (Picture by PaulC)[/caption]