Jeffrey Bohun Ranson

Pilot Officer 61957 Jeffery Bohun Ranson RAFVR was killed during a training exercise on 19th April 1941 aged 26.

Jeffrey was born on 13th April 1915 in Chingford the son of Ernest and Florence Ranson. By 1929 the family had moved to The Homestead, Woodham Ferrers and Ernest was employed as a journalist. The postal address of The Homestead was East Hanningfield but listed under Woodham Ferrers in Kelly’s Directory. The family were still there in 1939 and by then Jeffrey was also working as a journalist.

According to The Essex Newsman report of his death he had been educated at Maldon and Chelmsford Grammar Schools and the Essex Institute of Agriculture. He was said to have been a well known cricketer, a member of the County Cricket Club and played for the Gentlemen of Essex

In August 1938 Jeffrey was fined 25/- at Chelmsford for failing to conform to a traffic sign whilst waiving to a friend.

In April 1940 he joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve and was appointed a Pilot Officer, Observer on 9th March 1941. Jeffrey was attached to 25 Operational Training Unit which had recently been created out of 106 Squadron at RAF Finningley in South Yorkshire. The unit was training on Handley Page Hampdens a twin engined medium bomber which required a crew of four.

On the 19th April 1941 Jeffrey took off in a Hampden P1248 piloted by Pilot Officer R A P Allsebrock on an instrument practice flight. Unfortunately they strayed into Sheffield’s Balloon Barrage and collided with one of the tethering cables resulting in the loss of part of the port wing. The plane subsequently crashed into Concord Park Sheffield at 16.26 hours. Although the pilot survived Jeffrey was killed. It is probable that Jeffrey was an instructor. Their plane was off course in low cloud and industrial smoke haze and effectively lost. A decision had been made that a radio operator was not required on the flight so that they would not have received the warning signals from the barrage balloons. The pilot was able to parachute from the plane and went on to later join 617 Squadron, famed as The Dambusters. He was killed in 1943.

Jeffrey was subsequently buried at the City Road Cemetery in Sheffield.