EM-Q, captained by 20 year old P/O Horace Badge, was one of nine aircraft from 207 Squadron assigned to this raid. Horace Badge had just been commissioned from his NCO rank of sergeant and this was to be his fourth operation.

They took off at 2235 hrs. The outbound route was to take them over the Somme, then straight to Annecy, France, where pathfinder aircraft were to drop marker flares over Lake Annecy in order to keep the bombers clear of neutral Swiss territory. With 100 miles to the target, they were then to fly at 20,000 ft over the Alps with Mont Blanc on their left, before descending into Italy and on to Turin.

Eyewitness accounts given to Jim Wright, son of the Air Bomber, talk of the the aircraft breaking through the cloud cover over Vevey on the northern shore of Lake Geneva.

It was trailing what looked like black smoke. Another eyewitness who was on Le Grammont as a boy remembers the aircraft circling at least twice, the second time lower than the first.

There was then a brilliant white flash followed by an explosion and flames.

A STRONG EXPLOSION
About one o'clock, a lot of people noticed, in the direction of Bouveret, a bright light, similar to that produced by a flare, which seemed to be coming down from a black cloud bank. (A storm was blowing at the time).

The light flashed to the ground and suddenly tall flames rose up In the forest, some 400 to 500 metres above the western end of Bouveret. A terrible explosion followed. It could be seen as far as Vevey and district, awakening a fair number of inhabitants and shaking the windows.

This morning, using powerful glasses, one can make out the traces of the disaster, in the middle of which can be seen some whitish objects, probably debris. On this subject we have received the following official communique:

The responsible press-chief of the district informs us: During the night of the 12/13 July, at 0.55 hours, an English four engine plane crashed into the Grammont slopes about 500 metres from Bouveret, at a height of 900 metres. An enormous explosion was heard and huge flames rose up from the machine. The sector-commander and the fire-chief from Bouveret went to where the five bodies were found. Two of the crew have not yet been found.

The forces of the explosion was such that several windows and window-panes were blown out in Bouveret.

In Vevey itself, three big windows of the Hotel des 3 Couronnes were shattered. One of the hotel guests, the Aga Khan, was hit on the head by flying glass which caused no damage however.

14th July 1943

The English four engine plane crashed against two sides of le Grammont near the Bussien quarries above le Bouveret. It came down right in the middle of forest which was destroyed over an area of 150/200 metres.

On hitting the ground, the plane broke up into a thousand pieces and produced a crater ending in a gully filled with debris and loose rock which rolled to the foot of the hill. Incendiary bombs were found in several places.

It is not yet known whether the full bomb load exploded after the crash. The only certainty is that no (bomb) pieces have been recovered.

The rush of flames was so fierce (obviously from an exploded bomb) that several windows were broken in le Bouveret of course and in the surrounding district.

The paper 'Revue' points out that at Montreux a big mirror 3.50 metres long and 2.50 metres hight, seven millimetres thick, was shattered in the hall of the Hotel Eden. A window was blown in under the 'Palace'.

Later, another report stated that nearly all the houses in Le Bouveret had a large number of panes and windows broken.

At the Co-operative, large mirrors worth about 2000 F. some others in Hotel Bellevue worth several hundred francs, have been shattered. Shutters have been blown off.

The church has not been spared. On its floor fragments of gypsum have been found and two others of the stained glass windows have been broken.

A Swiss soldier gives scale to the immense destruction


A propellor lies mangled on the mountainside


The remains of the starboard inner engine were found resting against this tree

On a visit in 2000, Pascal Blanchard, a local aviation buff, rests by the same tree: the area still smells of fuel & oil: Jim Wright, Jamie Brett, Bryan Pattison (Chairman Swiss RAFA) and other Swiss RAFA members were in the group (all via Wright)

THE FUNERAL OF 14 BRITISH AIRMEN

"As was to be expected a very big crowd flocked to the St. Martins Cemetery yesterday afternoon to be present at the funeral of the British airmen, victims of implacable fate/duty, who had on Tuesday night come down above Bouveret and on the Alp de Thyond (Valais).

Those responsible for the control of the public, a task well organised by the police under the command of M. Carrel, did not have an easy task and it was only with difficulty that they could curb the enthusiasm of the crowd once they were allowed free entry.

At 15.00 hours, already a great crowd was thronging on the St. Martin terrace where the official procession was to form up. Behind the British cemetery the final preparations were being completed. Innumerable and splendid wreaths - perhaps a hundred - were set out on trestles, producing a guard of flowers for the coffins. They had been sent from every part of Switzerland, from every British community. Notably present were representatives from the British legation in Berne, the R.A.F., the British Legion, English internees, Greek, Belgium, Dutch, Yugloslavia colonies, the U.S.A., Palestine, etc.

About 16.20 hours, a battalion brass band plays Beethoven's Funeral March. A moving moment. The official personalities and delegations arrive. The procession is headed by the representatives of the British Legation In Berne, amonst others, His Excellency Mr. Clifford J. Norton, C.M.G., C.V.P., envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary minister, Air Commodore F.M.F. West, V.C.., MC., Air Attache Colonel H.A. Cartwrlght, M.C., Military Attache, Major H.N. Fryer, assistant Military Attache.

They are followed by representatives from the U.N. diplomatic corps, military attaches in full uniform, the Verney municipal representative, Officers from our Army, headed by Major Bossier of the 10th Territorial 'arrondissement' commanded by Colonel Carrupt, plus representatives of Air Defence are present.

The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of 80 million Muslems, staying at the Hotel des 3 Couronnes is also present. A fine wreath from him had been sent beforehand.

Before the reading of the Gospels, English soldiers (interned) and Swiss soldiers took their places at the foot and head of the 14 coffins. They are at attention. The band plays 'God Save The King'; the slab supporting the coffins are lifted, the soldiers slowly let them down on ropes to the bottom of the communal graves. The Absolution is given by Father Kurfurst, then Mr. Legg and the British Minister perform the symbolic gesture of throwing handfuls of earth onto the coffins.

Three salvos fired by a Swiss military detachment frighten the birds and small children (whom one might have wished to have been elsewhere than at a cemetery), trumpets sound and the ceremony ends with the laying of magnificent wereaths by the British Minister at Berne and the R.A.F. representative. These wreaths were brought by 4 English soldiers. They placed them against the posts previously set up in front of the graves.

Impressed by so much simplicity coupled with an absence of words which said much more than a thousand speeches, the crowd slowly withdraws as the military attaches come and bow before the graves where a quantity of flowers simple bunches, are piled up on the ground, an expression of the warmth of feeling felt towards the victims of the war. "

The Swiss Press also reported on the Turin raid:

THE TRAGIC RAID AT TURIN

Thirteen 4-engined planes have not come back from this air raid. The Italian communique says that the centre of Turin underwent considerable damage. There are 101 dead and 203 wounded.

At the R.A.F. H.Q. it is stated : during Tuesday night, strong formations of bombers attacked the industrial Italian town of Turin, which has a great importance not only by its industrial output, but also as a railway junction. The British bombers arrived over Turin in very propitious weather and moonlight made it easier for them to reconnoitre the targets. Thousands of incendiary and explosive bombs were launched, causing vast fires and heavy damages. On their way there and back the aircraft met with heavy storms which originated several crashes.

The memorial to the Badge crew is sited by the shore of Lake Geneva (Lac Leman).

It was erected by the people of Le Bouveret, a village very near to the French border, with the close involvement of the RAFA Switzerland branch.

The dedication was on 11th July 1993 in the presence of some of the crew's relatives and representatives of 207 Sqn RAF Association and military and civic officials.

As the Le Bouveret memorial is by the lakeside, it is seen by the many visitors touring Lac Leman. 

Nearby, a Union Jack fluttering in the breeze also attracts attention  to the memorial.

It is said that small children ask to be lifted to touch the  Lancaster on top of the plinth, seen here with Le Bouveret railway station in the background.

On the middle plinth there is a crew list and a description of the crash in French and English.

The plaque on the right hand plinth is the RAF crest.

detail of middle plaque (Presley);
other photos Haslam

SEPT HOMMES D'EQUIPAGE A THYON LE 13.7.43 AVEC UN LANCASTER DE LA RAF

SEPT HOMMES D'EQUIPAGE AU GRAMMONT LE 13.7.43 AVEC UN LANCASTER DE LA RAF

The airfield is nowadays divided in two parts: one side is open to the civil traffic. The other side of the runway, where the memorial stands, is still an active military airbase and is closed to the public.

F/O G D Mitchell RAAF
Sgt B K H Evans
P/O H R St George RAAF
F/O W H Morgan
F/S J M Maher RAAF
F/S H B Bolger RAAF
F/S A D Terry RAAF