Precision Proco CEO Jon Bailey set the wheels in motion on the project, which also connected long-lost relatives and culminated in a Service of Remembrance and a documentary film about the RAF in World War II.
During a conversation with McClements, Bailey was shown a photograph on a smartphone of a stained-glass window in Canada dedicated to RAF pilot Jack Laffoley.
Hearing the story of McClements’ research into his late father’s war time service and the enduring impact of the tragedy of his friend Laffoley’s death, Bailey suggested it could be possible to print – and donate - a replica of the window, and this resulted in the project, ‘Operation Gisela – Echoes of a Sacrifice’.
(L-R) Precision Proco CEO Jon Bailey with Robert McClements
With the window replica plan in mind, McClements contacted Laffoley’s family in Canada to explore the possibilities to mark the 80th anniversary of his death on 4 March 2025.
Once he had their support and commitment, McClements engaged with the Yorkshire Air Museum and Allied Air Forces Memorial who agreed to hold a service. The subsequent service was attended by over 70 people, with family from Canada, the US, France, and Germany, and included the dedication of the stained-glass window replica lightbox.
Inspired by Bailey’s suggestion and the prospect of such a gathering, McClements also worked for four months to bring together a unique collection of research to create a 24-minute documentary about Operation Gisela, properly known as “Unternehmen Gisela”, the Luftwaffe’s last desperate attempt to stem the RAF’s victory.
Following the bomber stream back from Germany, 117 Junkers JU88 night-fighters were circling the East coast of Britain, waiting to shoot them down as they landed. This story is told in full in the documentary on YouTube.
The replica of the stained-glass window printed by Precision Proco reads ‘In Memory of our only son Flight Lieutenant Jack Laffoley R.C.A.F. March 4, 1945, The Flying Tenth Bomber Squadron (inscription on Charles Kelsey window, Mountainside United Church, Westmount, Canada).
To create the replica, Precision Proco studio manager Neil Newsome recreated the image, picking out all the fine detail of the lead to give a solid opaque line, enabling the colours to shine through. The replica was face-printed on 3mm acrylic sheet (030) using a Jetrix LXi7 LED-UV flatbed press.
The lightbox, which was illuminated by LEDs, was provided by Omega Signs in Leeds.
McClements, who championed the power of print as a powerful partner in communications during his time with the VMC, said: “The printing of the window was just the start. So much of the research was dependent on print – records ranging from RAF archives to family letters.
“Not to mention the invitations, Orders of Service, labels for memorabilia displays etc. I brought together different parts of the story from a variety of printed books and even found copies of the Luftwaffe pilots’ original flight logbooks provided by an aero-historian in Brazil. The final piece of the print jigsaw is the QR code on the ticket – use it to watch the film.”
The documentary film was crafted by another VMC collaborator, Ryan Lee of Ryvacious Films.
The window was dedicated in the chapel at the Yorkshire Air Museum and Allied Air Forces Museum and unveiled in a Remembrance and Reconciliation Service on Sunday 2 March by Laffoley’s nephew, Ross Oliver.
Operation Gisela resulted in 98 Allied Air Force casualties including Laffoley. He was 22-years-old and on his 33rd and last operation flying in Halifax Bomber V-Victor. These were the markings of the plane McClements’ father had successfully completed his own 38 operations in just two weeks before at RAF Melbourne, York.
There were many casualties on both sides, including members of the Moll family killed tragically when one of the attacking Junkers JU88s crashed into their farmhouse close to the museum. The operation was never repeated. The service honoured all casualties.
