ONE of two surviving crew members of a Halifax bomber shot down on its last mission over Germany is trying to locate a colleague who died trying to save his comrades.

Ron Purcell was the navigator on the Halifax's fateful mission when it was hit by flak as it flew home after dropping its bombs.

Now he wants to contact the relatives of former Bury man Freddie Nuttall who was wireless operator and who took the controls of the plane after the pilot was killed by the anti-aircraft fire.

A new book recalling the exploits of the bomber crews, tells how Freddie jumped into the pilot's seat and stopped the plane going into a spin.

The book says: "Just before the shell hit, Freddie Nuttall was in the position he normally occupied on a bombing run - he was standing alongside the pilot and keeping an eye open for night fighters.

"Miraculously, the shrapnel that killed Kees Goemans (the pilot) missed the wireless operator and it seems likely that Freddie Nuttall dragged his dead pilot from the cockpit before scrambling into the Dutchman's seat and grappling with the controls. "Although the wireless operator had not previously flown an aeroplane, he did achieve some success: his efforts stopped the Halifax spinning - but he did not arrest the dive." Sadly, the plane crashed and Freddie's body was found in the wreckage.

Now Ron, who lives in Kent, wants to contact's Freddie's family about the book so they know just how he gave his comrades the chance of life at the cost of his own.

Ron is now one of only two of crew members still alive. The other, a New Zealander, lives in Devon.

Ron said: "For some time now we have been trying to trace the relatives and descendants of Freddie Nuttall who was a native of Bury as we were aware of the impending publication of the squadron history and felt they would be proud to know that Freddie made such a brave, selfless act before he died."

Ron said the last known address of his family was 26 Cornall Street, Bury, but that they appear to have moved on.

If you know the whereabouts of any of Freddie's family, please contact the Bury Times, telephone 0161 764 9421.

* No. 640 (Halifax) Squadron RAF Leconfield, A Diary of Wartime Bombing Operations, is written by Bill Norman and published by Compaid Graphics, Little Ash, Street Lane, Lower Whitley, Warrington, Cheshire WA4 4EN. Priced £16, including post and package.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.