Gerald was born on 3 July 1921 at 27 Bayston Road, Hackney, London with the name Gerald Gabriel Stuart Abrahams to London born parents David Abrahams and Lena née Axelrad. The family surname was originally Abrahams and by 1939 they were using the surname Stephens. Gerald had an older brother Aubrey known as Jack and a younger sister Jeanne. In 1939, the family lived together at 177 High Street, Sutton where they worked together in their family run shoe shop in Bethnal Green.

Gerald was the second pilot of Stirling BF415 which departed RAF Ridgewell on a night operation to Hamburg. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at Willeskop, 10 miles south-west of Utrecht. All the crew were killed.

Pilot, P/O. G.D. MacDougall, J/16619 RCAF.
Co-Pilot P/O. G. Stephens
F/E, Sgt. L.H. Jenkins, 577165 RAF
Nav, Sgt. R.T. Williams, 1149195
B/A, Sgt. C.G.H. MacTavish, 1552454
W/Op A/G, Sgt. G.C. Adam 1365001
A/G, F/O. F.A. Parton 102536
A/G, Sgt. P.J. Egan 1338021

Grateful thanks to Kees Bazuine who supplied the information from the 90 Squadron Operation Record Book.