Remembering the Crew of Lancaster R5695EM-C and WINDSOR FRANCIS RICHARD WEBB

BORN MARCH 26, 1924

DIED NOVEMBER 22, 1942 ON A BOMBING MISSION TO GERMANY

PETERBOROUGH, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, ENGLAND

18 YEARS OLD

                           

Windsor was born in Peterborough on 26^th of March 1924, the son of Leslie William Webb and Florence Lily neé Harrison, who married in 1921 in Peterborough. The Webb family had a long tradition of working on the railways, his grandfather being a station master in Cambridgeshire and his uncle, Cecil Francis Webb born 1899, a goods clerk. However, his father, born 1898, initially went into banking and later became involved in the management of his wife’s family advertising business. Based on family photos and the private schooling provided for Windsor, the family appears to have been well off for the 1930s and 1940s. His father served as a Special Constable in the police force during WWI, which may well have influenced Windsor’s choice of career in joining the Berkshire police force on leaving school. Any significant military connection came from his uncle, Cecil Francis Webb, who joined the Norfolk Regiment of the British army in 1914 when he was underage and served on the western front for the entire conflict. After WW1, in 1920, he joined the Black & Tans and fought in the Irish war of independence. He refused to discuss any details of either conflict for the rest of his life. In WW2 Cecil was too old to serve in the army and served as a Special Constable in the police force.

Windsor was educated privately by Katherine and Constance Back at their school in Lincoln Road, Peterborough before being admitted to The King’s School in 1933. At King’s, Windsor was in the Lion Patrol of the Scouts. On Speech Day in 1936 he received a School prize for Manual Work and Drawing. He left King’s in March 1937. After continuing his education at Stamford School, he joined the Berkshire Constabulary. At that time, the minimum age for admittance as a Police officer was nineteen. Windsor was younger and probably worked as a civilian clerk.

There are memorials to Windsor at The King’s School, Stamford School, and Berkshire Constabulary, as well as at Peterborough Cathedral.

Windsor’s cousin, Norman William Webb (born 1929), recalls the occasional visit to see Windsor and remembers that Windsor played the drums and had a drum kit in his bedroom. Norman was too young to serve in WW2 but did his National Service for 2 years as an RAF flight mechanic, commencing in 1947, initially working on Rolls Royce merlin engines that powered the Lancasters and Spitfires and later early jet engines.

Norman recalls the immense grief and sadness in the family at Windsor’s unexplained loss. Looking for some form of closure, the family discussed a theory that perhaps the Lancaster had been damaged and shot down by friendly fire when returning home, mistaken for a German bomber.

Windsor’s younger sister, Pamela, born in 1931, married William Pugh in 1951 and they had 3 children. Windsor had 2 aunts - Aunt Florence Nellie on the paternal side and Aunt Dorothy Harrison on his maternal.

Windsor joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in February 1942, service number 1320645 and trained as an air gunner. He was assigned to 207 Squadron in August 1942.