Carpe Diem - 576 Squadron RAF - The Crews

CREW MEMBER PROFILE
Surname:	CULL		First Name/s:	Stanley Victor

Service No/s:	1814522	Service:	RAFVR	Branch:	Flight Engineer

Awards:	Air Crew Europe Star, 1939-1945 Star, War Medal

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Date	Event	Aircraft Flown
SERVICE RECORDS
	No.4 School of Technical Training, RAF St Athan, South Wales
20 Jan 1943 20 Jan 1943	Enlisted as Aircraftsman Second Class (AC2) at No.2 Recruitment Centre, Euston, London
01 Feb 1943 01 Feb 1943	No.11 Recruitment Centre, RAF Skegness, Lincolnshire
27 Sep 1943 27 Sep 1943	Awarded Flight Engineers Badge, promoted to Temporary Sergeant
02 Oct 1943 02 Oct 1943	No.1662 Heavy Conversion Unit, Blyton, Lincolnshire	Lancaster
02 Dec 1943 02 Dec 1943	To No. 576 Squadron, A Flight, Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire	Lancaster

Date	Aircraft	Code	Flight Details	T/O	Land	Flt Time	Crew
576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS
16 Dec 1943 16 Dec 1943	LM332	UL-B²	BERLIN	1655	FTR	n/k	P1 Flt Sgt F.R. Scott RAAF P2 FE Sgt S.V. Cull AB Flt Sgt P.M.C. Ellis NAV Sgt G.G. Critchley WOp Sgt J.H. Caldwell MUG Flt Sgt B.P. Wicks RAAF RG Sgt J.W. Ross
NOTES:	Target: Built-up Area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1122x 4lb incendiaries There was plenty of low cloud over Elsham Wolds, but not sufficiently bad to prevent the aircraft from 576 and 103 Squadrons taking off for the mission to Berlin. During the briefing, crews were cautioned about the weather conditions and were instructed that after take-off they should maintain the prescribed climb-out procedures until reaching the prescribed height and then turn towards the North Sea on the briefed route to the target. It was stressed that crews should not deviate from these instructions in any way. At 1637, the crew of Flt Sgt Richter, comprising a scratch crew of 103 and 576 Squadron crews. Shortly afterwards, at 1656, the Scott crew took off for what was to be their first operation. What follows next is largely conjecture. It seems that as Richter's aircraft was climbing out, Scott's aircraft suddenly appeared out of the cloud and flying directly towards them. The collision was inevitable and the two Lancasters crashed head-on. The collision occurred over the village of Ulceby and the wreckage from both aircraft was spread over a wide area. There were no survivors. In 2000, a plaque was erected at the Ulceby War Memorial to commemorate both crews. The 103 Squadron aircraft's crew were: Pilot Flt Sgt V Richter Flight Engineer Sgt F S Copping Air Bomber Fg Off C R Jacques, 576 Squadron Navigator Sgt C W Plampton Wireless Operator Flt Sgt T L H Kay, RAAF Mid-Upper Gunner Sgt P Coopman Rear Gunner Sgt F A Furrie, 576 Squadron

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Details
Stanley ‘Vic’ Cull was born on 20 Dec 1924, son of Chief Stoker Stanley Cull, RN, and Harriet Cull Nee Cook), in Portsmouth, Hampshire. He had two sisters: Kathleen Barbara (later Moriarty) born 1929 and Daphne (later Wilkes) born 1932. The family moved to Windsor, Berkshire a week before the outbreak of war where Vic worked as a fitter’s mate at Martins Garage in St Leonard’s Road. He joined No. 459 (Windsor) Squadron Air Training Corps (ATC) at the tender age of 16, and enlisted on 20 Jan 1943. Aged just 18 years of age, Vic Cull flew just on just one operation on 576 Squadron, the planned raid on Berlin on 16/17 December 1943. 16/17 December 1943 Lancaster LM332 - UL-B² flown by Flt Sgt Scott - took off at 1636 but three minutes later tragically collided with a 103 Squadron Lancaster in cloud and crashed at Ulceby. There were no survivors. All seven crew members now lie at Cambridge City Cemetery. This is their story: On the 16th December 1943, Lancasters from 103 and 576 Squadrons at Elsham Wolds took off for a raid on Berlin. There was low cloud at Elsham Wolds but was not considered bad enough to prevent operations. During the briefing the crews were cautioned about the low cloud and told that after take-off they would have to climb away into the climbing pattern until they reached the prescribed height and then head out over the North Sea. It was emphasised that crews should not deviate from these instructions in any way because of the visibility issues. Amongst the first to take off were Flt Sgt Scott RAAF and crew in Lancaster UL-B². Scott and his crew were on their first operation. Soon afterwards, Flt Sgt Richter and crew of 103 Squadron in Lancaster JB670 followed them. This was possibly a scratch crew made up from members of both 103 and 576 Squadrons, an unusual occurrence. As Richter’s aircraft took off and climbed away Scott’s aircraft appeared out of the clouds flying directly towards them. A collision was inevitable, and the machines crashed head on just outside the village of Ulceby and wreckage fell over a wide area. There were no survivors from either crew. According to W R Chorley, three of the crew on the 103 Sqn aircraft were attached from 576 Sqn. These were Flt Sgt Richter (Pilot), Fg Off Jaques (Navigator), and Sgt Plampton, (Air Gunner) Vic Cull was one of the youngest crewmembers of Bomber Command to lose his life and lies at Cambridge Cemetery, grave 13514A-13517. Rob Moriarty

PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS
Details
Vic Cull with sisters Barbara and Daphne Rob Moriarty
No. 4 School of Technical Training - Vic Cull is second left front row Rob Moriarty
Cull Medals Rob Moriarty
Crash Memorial Rob Moriarty
Cull Gravestone Rob Moriarty
Newspaper clipping