No.902896, Sergeant, Stanley Jack ROSS-HOFF
Aged 32
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Stanley Jack Hoff was born in 14th May 1910 in Bengal, baptised in Christ Church, Mussoorie on 21st October 1916, the son of Stanley Richard Ross Hoff and Sybil (Cymbeline) Nora née Radford
Jack and his mother (both as ROSS-HOFF) arrived in London on 28th February 1919 on the P & O liner "Nankin". Stanley Jack established a business locally. He was a Corn and Coal Merchant who ran his business from 45 High Street from at least 1927, however, in September 1939 it was reported in the London Gazette that he was bankrupt. He married, in Birdbrook, to Jeanne Elsie FRENCH [22] of "The Elms" Birdbrook on 30th November 1940 at St. Augustine's Church, Birdbrook, when he was stationed (as an L.A.C) at RAF Prestwick in Scotland. His father's occupation was given as accountant. They had one daughter, Jeanette (Halstead qtr 4,1942 4a-1320), born after her father's death. His widow re-married in 1947 to Joseph WELLS |
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6 Hampden's of 83 Squadron flew a sweep over the North Sea on the first day of the war, but these outdated bombers were soon replaced by Manchesters, which
were also found to be inadequate and in 1942 were replaced by Lancasters. 83 Squadron became one of the original Pathfinder squadrons at RAF Wyton in August 1942.
On the night of 2nd June 1942, the crew of Lancaster Mk1 ser.no. R5564, c/sign "OL-P" took part in a thousand bomber raid against Essen. They took off from their base at R.A.F. Scampton at 23.10 on 1st June. Nothing more was heard of them after take off and it is presumed they crashed into the North Sea, west of Katwijk, Netherlands. Probably, the aircraft was shot down by night fighter pilot Hauptmann Erich Simon of the Ergänzungsstaffel/NJG 2, who was flying a Ju 88 C-6 from Gilze-Rijen airfield. P/O Billing's body washed ashore on the Dutch coast and he was buried on 1st August 1942 in Amsterdam's New Eastern Cemetery. The rest of the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial in Surrey. From http://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/541.html - Lancaster I, R5564 of 83 Sqn, (raid Essen, night 01/02 June 1942, pilot Busby) came down in the North Sea off the Dutch coast north of The Hague. Six crew are MIA, but New Zealand Pilot Officer Kelvin C. Billing washed ashore 2 months later, probably at Zandvoort beach. He was buried 01 August 1942 in grave 12 with three non-identified RAF airmen found on the same beach. These are the unknown airmen in grave 13, 16 and 19. The complete crew was Pilot-P/O Frank Busby RAFVR; Co-pilot-Sgt Leonard Smith RAF; Navigator-P/O Kelvin Billing RNZAF; Bomb Aimer-Sgt Clifford Baines RAFVR; W/Op-Sgt Joseph Dodsworth RAF; Air Gunner-Sgt William Hall RAFVR; Air Gunner-Sgt Stanley Ross-Hoff RAFVR. This was the first loss of a Lancaster for 83 Squadron.
photo: Commonwealth War Graves Commission click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details |
Avro Lancaster Mk1(suitably re-lettered)