WW2 Memorial Profiles - West Mersea
JAMES TALES
Flt. Sgt. (W. Op/Air Gnr) 755804
97 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Died 14 July 1942
Commemorated Barfield Road Grave 216, West Mersea. (His mother's grave)
"Son of Mr & Mrs W.J. Tales of South Benfleet" is the information held by Commonwealth War Graves Commision.
We have to go back to James' maternal grandmother to find the reason that James is commemorated in Barfield Road Cemetery, West Mersea.
Lucy Hepzibah Cook was born in 1860, daughter of Daniel and Lucy H. Cook née Hardy living in West Mersea.
In 1871 she was living with the family in The Lane South, West Mersea. In 1883 she married John McDonnell at Elham in Kent.
John was born in Ireland c1861. Their daughter Norah Agnes McDonnell was born c1892 in Brentwood - the 1891 census
shows John and Lucy McDonnell with 5 children living in St Giles, City of London. The children were all born in
Brentwood except the eldest, Roland J., born Colchester. Also living with them was Lily M. Hardy age 18 - born West Mersea 1883 and granddaughter of Lucy H. Cook.
The 1911 Census tells us
that Norah McDonnell was living with her mother Lucy McDonnell age 50, 2 brothers, and 16 yr old Linda Cook,
in Artizan Street, Houndsditch, London E. Norah was a linen room maid. Her mother Lucy was listed as born Mersea.
Linda Cook was from Mersea, born about 1895 and daughter of George and Kate Cook. Lucy died in London in 1926.
Lucy McDonnell and her daughter Norah - top of Wellhouse Hill, West Mersea
Norah Agnes McDonnell married William James Tales in Aldgate, London, in 26 Dec 1915. Their son James would
have been born around 1921. 14 November 1928 Norah Agnes Tales died in Southwark, but was buried in her mother's
birthplace, Mersea, in Barfield Road Cemetery.
James Tales is also commemorated on the gravestone in the cemetery.
James' father William James Tales was living in South Benfleet in 1939 and was a Dock Labourer. He died 13 March 1957,
still at South Benfleet.
Norah Agnes Tales and James Tales. Barfield Road Cemetery, West Mersea
On 14 July 1942, Fred was Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Lancaster R5558 based at Woodhall Spa which took off for a raid on Duisburg.
On the way back it was hit by flak or a night fighter and crashed into the sea 3 miles off Wells, Norfolk.
Wells Lifeboat was launched on receiving a report of a downed aircraft. The aircraft was still afloat
and Fg. Off Davies was found clinging to the wing. There was no one else in the aircraft. The lifeboat returned
to Wells and Fg. Off. Davies was taken to hospital, but he died shortly afterwards. The lifeboat returned to
search for the remaining crew. The bodies of Fg Off Blease and Flt Sgt. McPhee were found but the other 4 crew
members were never found.
Lifeboat Coxswain Neilson was subsequently awarded an RNLI inscription of thanks on vellum, for his bravery in boarding the remains of the fuselage to search for
possible survivors, in spite of the possibility of it sinking without warning.
With thanks to
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
aviation-safety.net
Roger Bullen
Chris Kirkman
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