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Sgt. Cyril Herbert Pratt, RAF(VR) 1314020

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Sgt. Cyril Herbert Pratt.

The only information that we have at present is that Sgt. Pratt was the son Charles William Payne and Maud Lilly Pratt of 230, Hemdean Road, Caversham Reading, Berkshire. He had a brother Charles who passed away not long after the war ended and a sister Ethyl who lives in Sussex. Sgt. Pratt attended two schools in Reading and his ambition was to join the RAF. On leaving school aged 15, he immediately joined the RAF. The operation on August 27/28, 1943 was to be his last with the crew as he was about to be posted to other duties within the RAF. Sadly, it was his last his last operation.

Mrs.Ethyl McCarrol, sister of Sgt. Pratt has asked for these words of hers to be added to this page, in memory of her brother, Cyril. She writes.... "Cyril and our parents moved to Caversham in 1939. Cyril went to Reading School where he joined the OTC. When war was declared he was desperate to join the RAF to become a pilot. Unfortunately he was colour blind and had to settle to be a navigator. I was married at the time and lived some distance away, so during those war years we met only occasionally when leave times permitted. I remember that he phoned during that last week saying how tired and exhausted they all were as it had been a gruelling week During 1949 whilst on holiday in Bavaria, we met some War Grave Commissioners who were collecting all the bodies from around the area to bury them together in the cemetery they were constructing at Bad Tolz, a delightful, peaceful setting with cows and their bells sounding on the air"   Sgt. Cyril Herbert Pratt's grave. Click image to enlarge.     The inscription at the foot of the stone reads....   Forever in our thoughts