Lancaster Bale Out

Reworked and updated, Clive Smith's story of his second cousin, Jack Hougham, is available through Amazon worldwide for the first time. Jack was shot down and killed in a 106 Squadron Lancaster in 1943. Growing up, Clive was always fascinated by Jack's logbook, letters from the Air Ministry and photos of him in his flying gear. No one in his family however seemed to know exactly what had happened to him. Twenty-five years ago, Clive decided to try and find out more and so begun a lengthy search for information across the UK, Europe and North America that has resulted in this book. Fred Smooker grew up near Durham and left school in 1930 at the age of 14. He followed his Father into Coal Mining, but at the age of 17 decided to further his education and begun studying for a senior mining qualification. Mid way through his exams in 1941, Britain had been at war for 18 months and things were going badly for the Allies. Fred came to the decision that 'aircrew were more important than coal miners' so he volunteered to join the RAF. After being accepted he was called up in June of that year, and 20 months later found himself flying operations over Germany as a Bomb Aimer, flying in Lancasters with 106 Squadron based at RAF Syerston. The events that followed during the next 2 years would live with him for the rest of his life. Fred passed away aged 91 in 2008. He had outlived the rest of his crew by more than 64 years and for his whole life had lived with the question, "Why me?"