Lest we forget – Reflections on ANZAC Day and why we should never forget to remember…..

John McFarland, Navigator with Henry Murray’s crew, 4 of who were lost on the night of 19th April 1944 and who now lay in Gram Churchyard, Denmark. John stood with the crew of Mauson Lammas in Aabenraa Cemetery, also in Denmark. The Lammas crew were lost 4 days later, to the same target – all were killed.

Many thanks to David, Son of John McFarland for sending images of the gravestones of the Lammas crew who now rest in Aabenraa Cemetery, having been lost on the 23rd of April 1944. These pictures were taken on the same visit to Gram Churchyard to remember the 4 of John’s crew who were lost on the 18th April 1944.

Perhaps having spent the last couple of weeks working on the reordering of the Roll of Honour, the adding of gravestones to the Roll of Honour and writing about lost crews in support of some of these image donations, I began to feel again the overwhelming sense of loss that I felt when I began to research about Dad and the Squadron. When I say overwhelming loss, in the first instance, this was entirely personal and related solely to the recent loss of my father and mixed up in this was also my painful realisation that having simply left it too late,I would now never know the answer to so many of the questions I now had for him.

As my research progressed however, with the acquisition of the Squadron Operational Record books, I began to understand the brutal regularity of the loss of crew in the Squadron. The brutality of war and death in war is obvious, but it was the cold, clipped reportage of the loss of these young boys in the official pages that struck me – the loss of another 2 or 3 crews on a certain raid became nothing other than a matter of record, no emotion or regret of loss was recorded with the up and down times and the bomb loads carried that night……..

And so to ANZAC day. To be honest, what I was going to post this year was a mystery to me until I realised the work on the Roll of Honour could be edited to present the New Zealand and Australian boys on their day. As I remarked in the ANZAC DAY post, it felt awkward to be deleting the names of the other airmen, even though they still existed on another tabbed page within my spreadsheet document.

I didn’t expect the level of views over ANZAC and the following few days – neither did I expect the number of contacts from people regarding the posts I had made or with a mention of a loved one now gone. I realised, though perhaps obvious, that the sterile pages of the ORB have become perhaps too familiar to me – walking down their corridors I now recognise dates and names and when I see them I know they will not return the following night or the following week – the ORB tells me these things as simple record of fact – a page is turned and a life is lost.

What is actually all too easy to forget, is that these boys are not forgotten. The reason that we rise at dawn to remember them is simply because we have not forgotten them. They live in the hearts of those of us that live on and their memories are something special to us. We might not understand what they did or how they did it, that they were sick with nerves before flying or were too scared to talk of their fear in case they were deemed unfit to fly – all we understand is that they did it. In doing what they did, our luxury is to be able to remember these acts rather than confront how we might deal with the same. For this alone, we should remember and celebrate their names and their faces, still smiling from those cherished photographs – they will not age as we do, their memory will not fade, as long as we never forget them.

Ake Ake Kia Kaha

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Eric Jarman – Pilot

Off of the back, regarding my post about Feltwell Cemetery yesterday I have just come across this picture of a painting of Eric Jarman and his crew at 460 Squadron – Eric’s second tour after he left 75(NZ) Squadron. Accompanying the image is a very interesting description about the circumstances of the painting and the artist,  Stella Bowen who was stationed at RAF Binbrook where the Squadron was based:

Bomber crew is a group portrait of a Lancaster bomber crew representing the young Australians involved in the air war over Europe during the Second World War. In her capacity as an official war artist, Stella Bowen was stationed with the Royal Air Force at Binbrook, Lincolnshire, where No. 460 Squadron was based. This was the most highly decorated Australian squadron in Bomber Command, but had suffered the highest casualties. Bowen was commissioned to paint a typical crew that flew Lancaster bombers on the intense bombing raids over Germany and occupied Europe.

On 27 April 1944 she began a series of pencil sketches of a bomber crew comprising of six Australians and one Englishman. Preoccupied with their flight preparations, the men expressed no particular interest in Bowen’s attempt to draw them, but their bravery and youth captivated the artist. That night their operation took them over Friedrichshafen, a vital industrial centre on the shores of Lake Constance. By morning, Bowen’s subjects were reported missing. The artist had only made preliminary sketches of the crew, but she returned to her London studio to complete the painting, working from pencil sketches (also in the Memorial’s collection), and official photographs. She later wrote to her brother: “It was horrible having to finish the picture after the men were lost. Like painting ghosts.”

The crew is depicted in front of the menacing image of their Avro Lancaster bomber, looming above them like a bird. They are shown wearing their full flying gear including ‘Mae West’ life jackets, flying helmets and headphones. Their names appear on the helmets and are repeated on the wreath-like ribbon that scrolls across the canvas, complete with their RAAF wings floating like cherubs. Bomber Command, 460 Squadron RAAF; back row 1-r: Sergeant D G Champkin of the RAF, flight engineer; Pilot Officer Thomas Lynch, rear gunner; Flying Officer Hector Harrison, wireless operator; Flying Officer Ronald Neal, mid upper gunner; front row l-r: Flying Officer Marmion Carroll, navigator; Squadron Leader Eric Jarman, pilot; Flying Officer Francis Jackson, bomb aimer.

One of the men, Pilot Officer Thomas Lynch, who was presumed to have perished with the rest of the crew, was eventually discovered in a German prisoner-of-war camp. He reported that the bomber was shot down in the vicinity of Lahr, near the Swiss border. The crash saw him unconscious until 4 May, when he awoke as a patient in a German air force hospital in Baden-Baden. A German doctor told him the remaining crew had been killed. Lynch himself was badly injured and spent many weeks in various hospitals. Following amputation of his right leg and more time in hospital, he was posted to Stalag IXC to await repatriation.

Gram Churchyard, Denmark – John Macfarland visits and remembers

Many thanks to David for passing on a clip from Danish TV that shows a visit to Gram Churchyard by his Father John McFarland, Navigator with the Murray crew, who were shot down on the 18th of April 1944, whilst on a Gardening Op over Kiel Bay. John and the family went to pay their respects at Gram Cemetery to the 4 members of the crew who did not survive.

F/O Henry James Murray RNZAF NZ415820.  Pilot.
Buried Gram Churchyard Denmark.

Sgt. John Edward Lithgow McFarland  RAFVR 1503993. Navigator.
PoW No. 4193. PoW Camps – Dulag Luft, Stalag Luft III. Promoted to F/Sgt while a PoW.

F/S Douglas John Hill RNZAF NZ415761. Air Bomber.
Doug Hill had a miraculous escape when his parachute harness, which was cut by a burst of fire from the night fighter, came off. His left foot caught in the harness and he descended hanging by his foot.
PoW No. 3550. PoW camps – Dulag Luft, Stalags Luft VI and 357. Safe UK 6 May 1945.

F/S Gordon James Irwin RNZAF NZ415698. Wireless Operator.
Wounded when attacked by night fighter. PoW camps Dulag Luft, Stalag Luft III. Promoted to W/O while a PoW. Safe UK 14 May 1945.

Sgt. Hyman Chaim Mordecai Kahler RAFVR1803280. Flight Engineer.
Buried Gram Churchyard Denmark.

Sgt. John Mulligan RCAF R.195834. Mid Upper Gunner.
Buried Gram Churchyard Denmark.

Sgt. Peter Woolam RAFVR 1890807. Rear Gunner.
Buried Gram Churchyard Denmark.

Click here to see the TV clip – it’s obviously in Danish, but you can understand the sentiment and luckily, John doesn’t speak Danish!

Reichswald War Cemetery, Germany – The Wood crew

It’s perhaps fitting that the final set of photographs that Adrian has passed on to me, via his daughter, is of his  uncle, Edgar Reader’s gravestone, along with the graves of all of Ben Wood’s crew, who he flew with, between May 15^th and June 23^rd, when he and the rest of the crew were lost on the Mulheim raid.

The Wood crew on the Mulheim Op were;
F/Sgt Benjamin Brinley Wood RAFVR 656588. Pilot.
F/Sgt. George King Samson RNZAF NZ402563. Navigator.
F/Sgt Stuart Richard Bisset RNZAF NZ415738. Air Bomber.
Sgt Edgar Henry Reader RAFVR 1331432. Wireless Operator.
Sgt. Stanley Lawrence Webb RAFVR 1266998. Flight Engineer.
Sgt. Frederick Johns Hobbs RAFVR 1609558. Mid Upper Gunner.
Sgt. Cyril Benjamin Hemmings RAFVR 1235070. Rear Gunner.
You can read an earlier post about Edgar and the Wood crew here.

Feltwell Cemetery – Aircrew headstones recorded

Many thanks again to Adrian, this time for going to Feltwell Cemetery to record the gravestones of the 75(NZ) Squadron aircrew who rest their. 75(NZ) Squadron were based at RAF Feltwell between 1940 and 1942 and the dates of the gravestones reflect the obvious proximity of the Station to the churchyard. As with my recent post regarding the images Adrian gathered from Cambridge Cemetery , the airman have been listed in chronological order and grouped by crew, or date of death.

Squadron Leader Wilfred Ira Collett (RAF 34232) Died of injuries sustained on the return from a raid on Horst, 4th of August 1940. The Wellington he was flying was damaged over the Ruhr. Despite getting back to the mainland, an attempt to land at RAF Marham, resulted in the aircraft crashing – Wilfred was the only casualty of the crash.

75(NZ)Squadron Form 540 January 1941
Jan.10
At 10.00 hours on 10.1.41, P/O McNamara was detailed to carry out a Night Flying Test on aircraft T.2550, Letter “L”. After the N.F.T. his instructions were to proceed to Bassingbourn, drop P/O Ryan and bring back a new Pilot who was taking P/O Ryans’s place.

Cloud base at Feltwell was 1,500 feet and P/O McNamara was warned that south and westwards the cloud base would be lower, and , if he did not like it to return to base.

Operations Room was notified of this proposed cross country flight and P/O McNamara ascertained from Operations Air Control that Bassingbourn was serviceable, and gave his approx.. time of take of as 11.30 hours. Station Signals failed to contact the aircraft after it had taken off, E.T.A. base was 13.00 hours. At 14.30 hours Control commenced taking overdue action and rang Bassingbourn on P.B.K. but did not connect until 15.25 hours when they ascertained that the aircraft had not arrived. At 16.40 hours No.3 Group informed us that the aircraft had crashed at Heath Farm, Stapleford, near Duxford, and the following personel were killed or died from injuries.

P/O B.P. McNamara (Captain) unmarried. P/O A.J. Ryan (2^nd Pilot) unmarried.
Sgt. Elliot R.B. (Navigator) unmarried. Sgt. J. Olive (W/Operator) unmarried.
Sgt. M.R. Ritchie (Front Gunner) unmarried. Sgt. R.E. Ashby-Peckham (Rear Gunner) unmarried. Seriously injured and taken to Addenbrooks Hospital.

Sgt John Olive (RAF 978156). Buried Elton (All Saints) Churchyard England.
Sgt Matthew Roy Ritchie (RAF 631868). Buried Biggar Croft Cemetery Lanarkshire Scotland.

 

Sgt Eric Francis Ganaway (RNZAF NZ402110), Rear Gunner with  S/L Reuben Pears Widdowson. 2 months later, Reuben Widdowson would be piloting a Wellington on a return flight from Munster. After being attacked by an ME109, it would take the heroic efforts of a 2nd Pilot called James Allan Ward to extinguish an engine fire………

From ‘New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force (Vol. I) CHAPTER 9 — The Part of No. 75 Squadron’ (http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-1RAF-c9.html)

 ‘A favourite ruse of the enemy fighters was to patrol stretches of the English coast in the hope of intercepting bombers as they began their journey. On the night of the squadron’s fourth attack on Hamburg early in May, one Wellington was attacked just after crossing the coast. The bomber was badly damaged and the rear gunner, Sergeant Gannaway, fatally wounded.’

 

Sgt David Campbell Joyce (RNZAF NZ401278) was 2nd Pilot, flying with P/O William Jeffrey Rees and his crew on the night of the 15/16th July 1941 on a raid to Duisburg. The events of that night are recorded in the Form 540 for July 1941 and make brutal reading.

75(NZ)Squadron Form 540 July 1941
Outstanding Events
Pilot Officer Rees and SGT. Lewis were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Distinguished Flying Medal respectively. They were captain and wireless operator of a Wellington which was detailed to attack a target in Duisburg on the night of 15/16^th July. After a successful attack the aircraft was caught in a belt of searchlights, was struck by flak then attacked by an enemy fighter. Bullets and cannon shell struck the aircraft and exploded in the cabin and blasted open the mid-under turret hatch. The second pilot died of his wounds almost immediately; the front gunner was wounded and died in hospital, the rear gunner was temporarily blinded by a splinter. The observer, when proceeding aft to render assistance to the rear gunner, fell through the damaged under-turret hatch. The wireless operator was shocked and deafened for a period by a cannon shell which exploded close to his head. He eventually recovered and treated the wounded men. He then repaired his set and obtained wireless bearings after which he collected the navigators maps and instruments and assisted the captain to set course for base which was eventually reached and a safe landing made.

Sgt David Henry Conibear (RAF 932380) , the Front Gunner died of his wounds and lays in Rumney (St Augustine) Churchyard, Gwent, Wales.

Perhaps astonishingly, the observer who fell out of the Welington that night , P/O Robert Cyril Adair Hunter (RCAF J.3754) survived, being captured that night on landing. He spent the rest of the war as a prisoner before being repatriated 11th May 1945.

 

F/S Loch Lomond Bentley RNZAF NZ40393, was Piloting Wellington MK.IC Z8834 AA-P on return from a bombing attack against targets at Brest on the 23rd of December 1941. The aircraft on return, circled Feltwell airfield and awaited permission to land in poor weather conditions. At 2347, the aircraft flew into the ground 2 miles east of Berner’s Heath, about 5 miles south west of Thetford. F/S Bentley was the only casualty – all other crew members surviving but suffering injuries..

 

Sgt Henry William Woodham (RNZAF NZ402449) was 2nd Pilot on a training flight on the 28th February 1942. The Wellington, Skippered by Sgt. Robert Arthur Colville, suffered first a failure of its starboard engine, followed by a port engine failure. The aircraft crashed at Lakenheath. Sgt. Woodham died of his injuries. The ground crew passenger, Cpl Kenneth John Howes (RAF 912524) and AC2 Wilfred Pownall were killed and now rest in Selby and Glossop Cemetery respectively.

 

On the 22nd of April 1941 75(NZ) Squadron sent 10 Wellington bombers to attack Cologne. it would result in 2 new crews being headless by the end of that night.

Wellington Mk.III X3705, Piloted by P/O Ivor John McLachlan (RNZAF NZ404390) was attacked on return by an unidentified enemy fighter – the resulting attack left the 2nd Pilot P/O Cedric Niel Fountain (RNZAF NZ41981) dead and the Rear Gunner, Sgt Desmond Stewart Tutty (RNZAF NZ404576) wounded. The aircraft managed to return to base and crash landed.

The citation for Sgt. McLachlan’s Dintinguished Flying Medal (Immediate Award) is as follows: One night in April 1942, this airman was the captain of an aircraft which attacked Cologne. On the return journey whilst still over hostile territory, his aircraft was suddenly attacked by an enemy fighter whose machine-gun fire killed the second pilot and wounded the rear gunner. The aircraft was extensively damaged (including the hydraulic system) causing the undercarriage and flaps to drop, both gun turrets were rendered unserviceable and the aircraft became difficult to control. Undaunted Flight Sergeant McLachlan flew on and finally reached this country where he landed his damaged aircraft safely. This airman has completed numerous sorties, many of which have been against important targets, and he has always shown a high standard of efficiency, skill and resource.

Wellington Mk.III X3487, Piloted by P/O Eric George Delancey Jarman (RAAF AUS.404507), fared even worse. The aircraft was attacked by a JU.88 which resulted in the 2nd Pilot,  P/O Trafford McRae Nicol (RNZAF NZ411929) being mortally wounded and Rear Gunner, Sgt. Richard James Harris (RNZAF NZ402999) being killed. Additionally, the crew’s Navigator, Sgt. William Henderson Taylor (RAF 1051621/122053) and Wireless Operator Sgt. J.A. Fernie were wounded.

Eric Jarman’s citation for his Immediate Award of a Dintinguished Flying Cross reads as follows:
“One night in April 1942 this officer was the captain of an aircraft detailed to attack Cologne. Whilst over the target area, the aircraft was hit by shellfire and sustained damage. The navigator, wireless operator and front gunner were injured, but despite this, Pilot Officer Jarman flew on to make his attack. On the return journey it was discovered that a bomb had not fallen owing to the damage caused by the enemy’ s shellfire whereupon Pilot Officer Jarman altered course and headed for the North Sea so that the bomb could be jettisoned. Before reaching the sea, however, his aircraft was subjected to an attack by an enemy fighter whose fire killed the rear gunner, wounded the second pilot and inflicted further damage on the aircraft. Skilfully controlling the bomber Pilot Officer Jarman continued his flight and after jettisoning the bomb in the sea, he finally reached this country where he made a safe landing with the undercarriage retracted. In the face of extremely harassing circumstances this officer displayed great coolness, courage and determination. He has completed numerous sorties wherein heavily defended targets have been attacked.”

Eric Jarman died night of 27th/ 28th April 1944 with 460 Squadron whilst on a raid to Friedrichshafen. He now rests in Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany.

 

Wellington Mk.III Z1616 crashed shortly after take off on the 29th June 1942 for targets at Bremen. On impact, the aircraft caught fire – all of the crew were killed

Sgt George Walter Matthew Archer (RAF 1355706) Rear Gunner, Sgt Richard John Grenfell (RNZAF NZ404026), Wireless Operator and Sgt Norman Mitchell (RNZAF NZ404084) Front Gunner/ Air Bomber, rest in Feltwell Cemetery.

Pilot P/O Robert Bertram (RAF 1112264/128536)  lays in Hull Crematorium, Kingston Upon-Hull and the crew’s Observer, Sgt Joseph Guy Quin (RAF 1256373) is buried in Lakeham (All Saints) Churchyard Staines, Middlesex.

 

Comrades – Ken Moore

On ANZAC day, I thought it was fitting to re-post this poem. It felt a little strange, almost uncommfortable to be removing the airmen from the Roll of Honour to present a purely RNZAF and RAAF list for my previous ANZAC day post, so perhaps to make amends and remind us that the boys flew and died together, irrespective of their nationalities I represent ‘Comrades‘, by Ken Moore.

New Zealand gave a Squadron of Planes
When Britain’s need was dire
Both countries sons made up the crews
And they flew through hell and fire.

To the Pommy lads the Kiwi’s made
A gesture that was grand
They gave them honorary citizenship
Of their own beloved land.

Under New Zealand’s flag, they proudly flew
Comrades of the air
They lived and died, as side by side
Fate’s lot they chose to share.

In Wellingtons, Stirlings, then Lancasters
To the foe, they took the flight
On wings they soared through Europe’s skies
In the darkness and the light.

But a heavy price, the Squadron paid
In five long years of strife
Of those who flew with “75”
One in three, laid down their life.

On the East Coast of Old England
The crumbling airfields stand
Where aircraft once left mother earth
Tractors till the land

The era of the Bomber war
Came, paused, then passed away
But the bond between two nations sons
Unchanged, will ever stay

Ken Moore, Waterlooville. 2.3.80

ANZAC Day

“Those heroes that shed their blood
And lost their lives.
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies
And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side
Here in this country of ours.
You, the mothers,
Who sent their sons from far away countries
Wipe away your tears,
Your sons are now lying in our bosom
And are in peace
After having lost their lives on this land they have
Become our sons as well.“

 In 1934, Kemal Atatürk delivered these words to the first Australians, New Zealanders and British to visit the Gallipoli battlefields. They were later inscribed on a monolith at Ari Burnu Cemetery (ANZAC Beach) which was unveiled in 1985. The words also appear on the Kemal Atatürk Memorial, Canberra, and the Atatürk Memorial in Wellington.

When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only 13 years. The new national government was eager to establish its reputation among the nations of the world. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany.

The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated, after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Thousands lost their lives in the Gallipoli campaign: 87,000 Turks, 44,000 men from France and the British Empire, including 8500 Australians and 2721 New Zealanders.. News of the landing on Gallipoli had made a profound impact on Australians at home, and 25 April soon became the day on which Australians and New Zealanders remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.

Whilst not the only Commonwealth Squadron, 75(NZ) Squadron was the only to carry it’s country of origin. During the period of the Second World War, the Squadron lost 1139 members, of which 469 were New Zealanders and 12 were Australian.

What follows is a list of all RNZAF and RAAF airmen who lost their lives flying with 75(NZ) Squadron RAF. They are listed by country and graveyard.

AHE AKE KIA KAHA

UNITED KINGDOM
Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England.
GUNN, Garth Reginald    MiD	Age 26	Squadron Leader  411397  RNZAF	21st September  1944
SIMONSEN, Horace Dean	Age 31	Leading Aircraftsman  438024   RNZAF	17th April  1941
Buxton Cemetery, Derbyshire, England.
BEAVEN, James Wilfred	Age 31	Sergeant 403566 RNZAF	22nd May 1942
MACKAY, Andrew Donald	Age 22	Pilot Officer  411919   RNZAF	22nd May  1942
SMEATON, Wilfred Herbert	Age 28	Sergeant  405331   RNZAF	23rd May  1942
Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire, England.
BLEWETT, Terence Douglas	Age 26	Flight Lieutenant 414376 RNZAF	17th January 1945
BROADY, Raymond Herbert John	Age 28	Sergeant 39691 RNZAF	28th November 1942
DOBSON, Peter Gerald    MiD	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 439022 RNZAF	8th September 1943
EAST, Patton Mason	Age 29	Flight Sergeant 426083 RNZAF	24th October 1943
EMMERSON, Ronald Harry	Age 24	Flight Sergeant 410330 RAAF	16th December 1943
HURDLE, Walter	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  421279   RNZAF	4th November  1943
JENKIN, Ralph Francis	Age 23	Flying Officer  416119   RNZAF	16th December  1943
KINROSS, Colin John	Age 30	Pilot Officer  417069   RNZAF	16th December  1943
MENZIES, Ian Robert	Age 21	Flying Officer  415002   RNZAF	8th September  1943
PURVES, James John	Age 35	Flight Sergeant  422207   RNZAF	25th October  1943
RANDLE, James Robert	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  416539   RNZAF	24th October  1943
WILSON, John Stanley	Age 34	Flying Officer  426234   RNZAF	17th January  1945
Chevington Cemetery, Northumberland, England.
McISAAC, Alexander	Age 24	Sergeant  412891   RNZAF	28th November  1942
Feltwell (St. Nicholas) Churchyard, Norfolk, England.
BENTLEY, Loch Lomond	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 403936 RNZAF	23rd December 1941
FOUNTAIN, Cedric Niel	Age 23	Pilot Officer  41981   RNZAF	23rd April  1942
GANNAWAY, Eric Francis	Age 21	Sergeant  402110   RNZAF	12th May  1941
GRENFELL, Richard John	Age 22	Sergeant  404026   RNZAF	29th June  1942
HARRIS, Richard James	Age 24	Sergeant  402999   RNZAF	23rd April  1942
JOYCE, David Campbell	Age 21	Sergeant  401278   RNZAF	16th July  1941
MITCHELL, Norman	Age 25	Sergeant  404084   RNZAF	29th June  1942
NICOL, Trafford McRae	Age 21	Pilot Officer  411929   RNZAF	23rd April  1942
RYAN, Alexander James	Age 25	Pilot Officer  391367   RNZAF	10th January  1941
WOODHAM, Henry William	Age 27	Sergeant  402449   RNZAF	28th February  1942
Grimsby (Scartho Road) Cemetery, Lincolnshire, England.
MEE, Alexander Coutts	Age 23	Sergeant  40656   RNZAF	7th May  1941
NOLA, David Leo	Age 26	Sergeant  39930   RNZAF	7th May  1941
Guilford Cemetery, Surrey, England.
ANDREWS, James Samuel	Age 23	Sergeant 634968 RAF	13th May 1943
Ham (St Andrew) Churchyard, Richmond, Surrey, England.
DIBBEN, Ronald Oswald	Age 22	Sergeant    1252627     RAFVR	28th November 1942
Ilford (Barkingside) Cemetery, Essex, England.
THORPE, Noel Humphrey	Age 21	Flying Officer  428168   RNZAF	26th February  1945
Jarrow Cemetery, County Durham, England.
BRUCE, John Henry	Age 23	Sergeant 1566967 RAFVR	17th September 1944
Lakenham (St. John the Baptist and All Saints) Churchyard, Norfolk, England.
HARVEY, Edgar William	Age 27	Sergeant  41902   RNZAF	16th December  1942
Newmarket Cemetery, Suffolk, England.
CLUBB, Selwyn James	Age 20	Flying Officer 414593 RNZAF	13th May 1943
FRANKLIN, Benjamin Allan	Age 21	Sergeant  414277   RNZAF	16th December  1942
HARVEY, Robert Frederick	Age 23	Sergeant  416483   RNZAF	13th May  1943
JOHNSTON, John	Age 28	Flying Officer  416198   RNZAF	13th May  1943
WALSH, John Arthur Ernest	Age 27	Warrant Officer  401294   RNZAF	9th April  1943
WELCH, Harold Rangi	Age 23	Sergeant  41709   RNZAF	16th December  1942
WHITCOMBE, William Henry	Age 32	Sergeant  41561   RNZAF	16th December  1942
Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England.
AITCHISON, Richard Justin	Age 28	Pilot Officer 429286 RNZAF	1st January 1945
BABER, Thomas James Edward    MiD Czech Medal for Bravery	Age 23	Flight Lieutenant 39857  RNZAF	12th March 1942
BAGNALL, Trevor Horace	Age 26	Warrant Officer 40640 RNZAF	17th December 1942
BAKER, James Guthrie	Age 27	Flight Sergeant 41142 RNZAF	1st September 1943
BARTON, Arthur James Douglas	Age 23	Flight Sergeant 413700 RNZAF	5th February 1943
BENTLEY, Robert Henry Waldron	Age 23	Pilot Officer 414580 RNZAF	5th May 1943
BOSWELL, John McLaren	Age 26	Sergeant 414491 RNZAF	5th May 1943
BRADEY, George Edward Francis	Age 25	Pilot Officer 401954 RNZAF	11th August 1942
BRAILEY, Clifton Robert	Age 23	Sergeant 404589 RNZAF	21st June 1942
BRIAN, William Leslie Fred	Age 23	Flight Sergeant 411737 RNZAF	28th April 1943
BRIDGMAN, Arthur Mervyn	Age 26	Pilot Officer 41866 RNZAF	3rd March 1943
BROUN, Alan Stewart	Age 32	Pilot Officer 405367 RNZAF	9th July 1942
BROWN, Russell Howard	Age 24	Flight Sergeant 425444 RNZAF	22nd May 1944
BRUHNS, Harold Henry	Age 22	Pilot Officer 42367 RNZAF	24th February 1944
BRYSON, Norman Albert	Age 26	Flight Sergeant 40859 RNZAF	26th July 1942
BUCKLEY, Ross Cameron	Age 29	Flight Sergeant 411206 RNZAF	28th April 1943
BURTON, Clarence Sydney	Age 22	Sergeant 414493 RNZAF	3rd March 1943
BUTLER, Laurie Licence	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 421672 RNZAF	24th February 1944
CAIRNS, Louvain Trevor	Age 25	Flight Sergeant 402437 RNZAF	26th July 1942
CHAMBERLAIN, Lloyd Montgomery	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 40914 RNZAF	12th March 1942
COLLINS, John Noel	Age 23	Flight Lieutenant 2513 RNZAF	21st May 1940
COPPERSMITH, Raymond Patrick	Age 21	Sergeant 391697 RNZAF	26th July 1942
CORIN, Henry George	Age 34	Sergeant 417269 RNZAF	28th April 1943
CUMPSTY, Frederick William Raukawa	Age 25	Pilot Officer 413386 RNZAF	31st July 1943
DANCE, Alfred Thomas	Age 25	Flying Officer 42495 RNZAF	4th November 1943
DARNEY, Jack Neville	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 42376 RNZAF	31st July 1943
DARTON, Thomas William	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 416465 RNZAF	26th May 1943
DAVIDSON, Neil Douglas	Age 21	Pilot Officer 422057 RNZAF	21st July 1944
DROMGOOLE, Sydney Houston	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 402171 RNZAF	22nd April 1942
DUNKERLEY, Allan Roy Frank	Age 33	Pilot Officer 423083 RAAF	21st November 1944
DYER, Sydney Allan	Age 19	Sergeant 40101 RNZAF	16th July 1941
EARLE, John	Age 29	Pilot Officer 401756 RNZAF	12th March 1942
ELLIOT, Thomas Isaac	Age 24	Flying Officer 421364 RNZAF	21st November 1944
FALCONER, Arthur James	Age 23	Pilot Officer  39910   RNZAF	21st February  1941
FALKINER, Philip	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  425140   RNZAF	30th July  1944
FAWCETT, Arnold Goodrick	Age 31	Flight Sergeant  422698   RNZAF	4th November  1943
FERGUSSON, Allister Archibald	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  425391   RNZAF	22nd May  1944
FINLAYSON, William John	Age 23	Pilot Officer  39911   RNZAF	24th October  1940
FITZGERALD, John	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  424777   RNZAF	30th August  1944
FREEMAN, Patrick Paul Deane	Age 22	Sergeant  413305   RNZAF	5th February  1943
GAVEGAN, Jack Ralph	Age 30	Pilot Officer  402128   RNZAF	9th July  1942
GOING, Raymond Cyril	Age 21	Sergeant  414278   RNZAF	3rd March  1943
GOULD, James Douglas	Age 21	Sergeant  411233   RNZAF	11th July  1942
GREEN, Cyril Vincent	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  402997   RNZAF	11th August  1942
GREENING, Joseph Wesley	Age 27	Pilot Officer  40022   RAAF	3rd July  1941
HADFIELD, Graham Stanley	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  426239   RNZAF	14th March  1944
HALLIBURTON, Keith	Age 23	Sergeant  415411   RNZAF	28th April  1943
HARE, Philip Edgar	Age 19	Sergeant  401227   RNZAF	16th July  1941
HARRISON-SMITH, Francis Charles	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  403959   RNZAF	30th November 1941
HARTSTONE, Roydon Horatio	Age 29	Sergeant  40211   RNZAF	3rd July  1941
HIGGINS, Eric Vincent Keiran	Age 27	Sergeant  400277   RAAF	16th July  1941
HIRST, Raymond John Finlay	Age 22	Sergeant  404067   RNZAF	11th July  1942
HOWELL, Alexander Clunie	Age 22	Sergeant  392104   RNZAF	28th April  1943
HOWES, Victor Charles	Age 20	Sergeant  413418   RNZAF	28th April  1943
HUNTER, Patrick Torre	Age 29	Sergeant  42297   RNZAF	28th April  1943
INNES, Owen Alfred	Age 22	Sergeant  421935   RNZAF	30th May  1943
JONES, Roy King	Age 26	Flying Officer  425611   RNZAF	21st July  1944
JUDD, Douglas Howard	Age 26	Sergeant  413336   RNZAF	10th September  1942
KAY, Alan Lister	Age 35	Flight Sergeant  42299   RNZAF	22nd May  1944
KELLY, Reginald Joseph Stephen	Age 24	Sergeant  403580   RNZAF	22nd April  1942
KILBY, William Adam	Age 40	Flight Sergeant  415261   RNZAF	1st September  1943
KNIGHT, Leon Gaston	Age 22	Sergeant  405494   RNZAF	9th June  1942
LAMB, Erwin Henry Reubin	Age 29	Sergeant  413709   RNZAF	5th May  1943
LEWIS, Alfred Edward	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  412458   RAAF	28th April  1943
LODGE, Tom	Age 35	Flying Officer  417284   RNZAF	4th November  1943
LOVELOCK, James Benjamin	Age 26	Flying Officer  416324   RNZAF	1st September  1943
MacKAY, Kenneth McIndoe	Age 27	Pilot Officer  421829   RNZAF	21st July  1944
MacKINNON, Douglas Malcolm	Age 20	Sergeant  40923   RNZAF	16th July 1941
MAHOOD, Thomas Stanley	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  404916   RNZAF	22nd April  1942
MARTYN, Leslie Arthur	Age 35	Flight Lieutenant  417082   RNZAF	21st November  1944
MASON, Frederick David	Age 21	Sergeant  1230433   RAFVR	16th August  1943
MAYO, John Russell	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  417085   RNZAF	7th August  1943
McGREGOR, Keith Alexander	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  415770   RNZAF	1st September  1943
McKENZIE, Frank Edwin	Age 22	Sergeant  391085   RNZAF	9th July  1942
McMAHON, Henry Thomas Owen	Age 27	Sergeant  403019   RNZAF	22nd April  1942
McPHERSON, Colin Valentine	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  404912   RNZAF	26th July  1942
MONK, Walter Jack	Age 24	Pilot Officer  411432   RNZAF	30th June  1942
MOORE, Cyril James	Age 25	Sergeant  410555   RAAF	6th July  1943
MUIR, Anthony Vincent	Age 29	Pilot Officer  40195   RNZAF	21st February  1941
NAIRNE, Colin George	Age 22	Pilot Officer  42117   RNZAF	30th July  1944
NATION, John Ross	Age 22	Sergeant  40945   RNZAF	3rd July  1941
NEWTON, Raymond John   DFC MiD	Age 28	Wing Commander  40984   RNZAF	1st January  1945
OAKEY, Arthur Leslie Archibald	Age 33	Flight Sergeant  4213810   RNZAF	21st March  1945
PARTON, William James	Age 20	Pilot Officer  41932   RNZAF	12th March  1942
PERRY, Lyndon Clifford	Age 21	Pilot Officer  428925   RNZAF	30th July  1944
POTTS, Donald Norman	Age 25	Pilot Officer  412267   RNZAF	9th July  1942
PRICE, Henry John	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  404095   RNZAF	12th March  1942
QUINN, Eric James	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  4210077   RNZAF	21st July  1944
REDDING, Randolph Ernest	Age 30	Sergeant  414678   RNZAF	5th February  1943
REID, Ian Laurie	Age 23	Sergeant  391846   RNZAF	3rd July  1941
RICHARDS, James Leonard	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  404946   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
RIDDLE, Charles Hudson	Age 21	Flying Officer  41190   RNZAF	30th May  1943
RIORDAN, John Milton Patrick	Age 32	Sergeant  422668   RNZAF	26th May  1943
ROSS, Desmond Ray	Age 23	Sergeant  411451   RNZAF	28th April  1943
ROSS, Stanley David	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  41359   RNZAF	26th July  1942
ROWBERRY, Geoffrey Warren	Age 24	Pilot Officer  414567   RNZAF	14th March  1944
SHALFOON, Charles John	Age 22	Sergeant  413897   RNZAF	11th October  1942
SMART, Randolph Cruickshank	Age 25	Pilot Officer  411006   RNZAF	10th September  1942
SPITTAL, Phillip Charles	Age 26	Pilot Officer  404420   RNZAF	26th July  1942
ST.LEDGER, Peter Sylvestor Anthony	Age 21	Flying Officer 4 25375   RAAF	30th July  1943
STONE, Robert James	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  415383   RNZAF	31st July  1943
STREETER, Donald Frederick	Age 24	Sergeant  401033   RNZAF	24th July  1941
THOMAS, Raymond	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  40586   RNZAF	6th July  1943
THOMSON, Jack	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  421145   RNZAF	3rd August  1943
TONG, Harold	Age 34	Flying Officer  416648   RNZAF	30th May  1943
TURNBULL, John George	Age 33	Flying Officer  42490   RNZAF	16th August  1943
TURNER, William	Age 22	Flying Officer  416579   RNZAF	3rd August  1943
TWEEDIE, Norman	Age 25	Sergeant  402474   RAAF	12th September  1941
VERCOE, Terrance James	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  415566   RNZAF	31st July  1943
VERNAZONI, Richard Barry	Age 20	Flying Officer 416185   RNZAF	30th May  1943
WALKER, Graham Stuart	Age 25	Sergeant  401817   RNZAF	24th July  1941
WATSON, Walter Davis	Age 30	Flight Sergeant  428918   RNZAF	30th August  1944
WESTWOOD, Reginald Francis	Age 20	Pilot Officer  416471   RAAF	5th May  1943
WHITELAW, Clifford James	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  416188   RNZAF	25th June  1943
WILLIS, William Jarvis	Age 33	Pilot Officer 421803   RNZAF	22nd May  1944
WILMSHURST, John Charles	Age 25	Sergeant  411962   RNZAF	11th July  1942
WILSON, Norman Clarence Bruce	Age 23	Flying Officer  417139   RNZAF	4th November  1943
WOODCOCK, Roy Joffre Desmond	Age 26	Sergeant  404985   RNZAF	12th March  1942
WORTH, Jim	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  425510   RNZAF	21st July  1944
WRIGHTSON, Cyril Charles	Age 22	Sergeant  411998   RNZAF	22nd April  1942
Belgium
Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Belgium.
ANDERSON, Lindsay Douglas	Age 20	Sergeant 391321 RNZAF	20th September 1940
Chiervres Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
KELL, William Robert	Age 23	Pilot Officer 411766 RNZAF	19th November  1943
MYERS, John William Anthony	Age 25	Flight Lieutenant 405801 RNZAF	19th July  1944
Florennes Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
GRAINGER, James Kennedy	Age 21	Pilot Officer  42295   RNZAF	15th April  1943
McCASKILL, Donald Gordon	Age 19	Pilot Officer  413573   RNZAF	15th April  1943
SMITH, Ronald Alexander	Age 21	Sergeant 415378   RNZAF	15th April  1943
Heverlee War Cemetery, Belgium.
BURKE, Edgar Lawrence	Age 26	Pilot Officer 417016 RNZAF	23rd May 1944
PAGE, Frank Albert	Age 29	Warrant Officer  409481   RAAF	23rd May  1944
PARKIN, Victor Trevor	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  421090   RNZAF	31st August  1943
WATTERS, Terrence	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  417299   RNZAF	31st August  1943
Hoton War Cemetery, Belgium.
ELVIN, William	Age 21	Pilot Officer 426883 RNZAF	12th August 1944
JOHNSTON, Haig Douglas	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  426320   RNZAF	12th August  1944
MULCAHY, Cyril Desmond	Age 21	Pilot Officer  428793   RNZAF	12th August  1944
PARKER, Robert Ronald Smithie	Age 20	Sergeant  1892552   RAFVR	12th August 1944
THOMSON, Edward Leonard	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  4211036   RNZAF	12th August  1944
WRIGHT, John Herbert	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  426209   RNZAF	12th August  1944
Ostende New Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
COATES, Dudley Dobson	Age 33	Sergeant 421318 RNZAF	26th May 1943
Werken Churchyard, Belgium.
ROBERTS, James	Age 20	Sergeant  400310   RAAF	22nd October  1941
SPARK, Frederick Alexander	Age 26	Sergeant  401415   RNZAF	22nd October  1941
Wevelgem Communal Cemetery, Belgium.
FAUVEL, Spencer Francis	Age 21	Flight Lieutenant  414971   RNZAF	28th May  1944
GOWER, Kenneth Wilfred	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  421272   RNZAF	28th May  1944
LUKEY, Francis Henry Clark	Age 23	Flying Officer  42990   RNZAF	28th May  1944
MASON, James Rooker	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  421307   RNZAF	28th May  1944
DENMARK
Aabenraa Cemetery, Denmark.
BAILEY, Robert	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 429072 RNZAF	23rd April 1944
LAMMAS, Mauson	Age 30	Pilot Officer  421728   RNZAF	23rd April  1944
SAWTELL, Arthur Hartley	Age 19	Flight Sergeant  417521   RAAF	24th February  1944
VAUGHAN, Douglas William	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  429046   RNZAF	23rd April  1944
Esbjerg (Fourfelt) Cemetery, Denmark.
COBB, Cyril Thomas	Age 30	Flight Sergeant 412315 RNZAF	21st April 1943
EARLE, Frederick Joseph	Age 22	Sergeant    1332585     RAFVR	21st April 1943
SALT, Ian Charles	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  404046   RNZAF	21st April  1943
TOLLEY, Alan Gray	Age 21	Pilot Officer  411954   RNZAF	21st April  1943
UPTON, Frank Wakefield	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  404430   RNZAF	21st April  1943
Frederikshavn Cemetery, Denmark.
CRAWFORD-WATSON, Lewis Stanley	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 42734 RNZAF	4th November 1943
IMRIE, George Burns	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  422676   RNZAF	4th November  1943
JAMES, Charles James	Age 34	Flight Sergeant  426333   RNZAF	4th November  1943
MASTERS, William Stuart	Age 21	Pilot Officer  421077   RNZAF	4th November  1943
Gram Churchyard, Denmark.
MURRY, Henry James	Age 26	Flying Officer  415820   RNZAF	19th April  1944
Orslev Churchyard, Denmark.
BIGGAR, John Matthew	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 427945 RNZAF	12th September 1944
HADLEY, William Orchard	Age 30	Flying Officer 426041   RNZAF	12th September  1944
Svino Churchyard, Denmark
BOYD, William James Victor	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 428303 RNZAF	12th September 1944
GILES, John Patrick Arthur	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  425836   RNZAF	12th September  1944
GUDGEON, John Bernard	Age 23	Pilot Officer  428786   RNZAF	12th September  1944
JENKINS, Ernest Roy	Age 25	Warrant Officer  405780   RNZAF	29th April  1943
SHOGREN, Malcolm Edward John	Age 29	Sergeant  415375   RNZAF	28th April  1943
THOMPSON, Desmond Lewis	Age 21	Pilot Officer  413152   RNZAF	29th April  1943
WILLIAMS, John Muir	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  401341   RAAF	29th April  1943
FRANCE
Bayeux War Cemetery, France.
BONISCH, Lester Lascelles	Age 21	Pilot Officer 422098 RNZAF	11th June 1944
McKENZIE, James Murdoch Thomas	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  427217   RNZAF	11th June  1944
MILLER, James Stuart	Age 33	Flight Sergeant  427220   RNZAF	11th June  1944
Chateau-Voue Communal Cemetery, France.
McRAE, James Kenneth	Age 27	Flying Officer  415216   RNZAF	25th July  1944
POTTS, Thomas Christopher	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  421143   RNZAF	25th July  1944
Choloy War Cemetery, France.
GROVES, Kelvin Havelock Green	Age 30	Pilot Officer  415819   RNZAF	17th April  1943
STONE, Ronald Charles	Age 26	Sergeant  413281   RNZAF	17th April 1943
Clermont-Ferrand (Des Carmes Dechaux) Communal Cemetery, France.
HENDERSON, Hugh William	Age 24	Flying Officer  421713   RNZAF	5th March  1944
JONES, Arthur Stanley	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  421977   RNZAF	5th March  1944
MELVILLE, Robert James Ian	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  42349   RNZAF	5th March  1944
WATSON, Raymond Johnson   DFC	Age 27	Squadron Leader  404978 RNZAF	5th March  1944
Cronenbourg French National (Mixed) Cemetery, Strasbourg, France.
DUDDING, Keat	Age 25	Warrant Officer 415522 RNZAF	25th July    1944
TAVERNER, George Alfred Badge	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  429835   RAAF	25th July  1944
WHITEHOUSE, Keith Owen	Age 23	Flying Officer  428800   RNZAF	25th July  1944
Fruges Communal Cemetery, France.
BATESON, Benjamin William	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 424788 RNZAF	25th June 1944
MILNE, Bruce	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  428017   RNZAF	25th June  1944
Guidel Communal Cemetery, France.
HARDING-SMITH, Dudley	Age 24	Pilot Officer  405265   RNZAF	13th February  1943
Millery Communal Cemetery, France.
BLANCE, Ian Edward	Age 21	Pilot Officer 421496 RNZAF	29th July 1944
CLIMO, Frederick Walter Percival	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 4310148 RNZAF	29th July 1944
JENKINS, Frederick Francis Arthur	Age 30	Flight Sergeant  429888   RNZAF	29th July  1944
Olonne-Sur-Mer Communal Cemetery, France.
WHITTA, Neville Bruce	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  416566   RNZAF	16th August  1943
Poix-de-la-Somme Churchyard, France.
MACKENZIE, Douglas John	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  417211   RAAF	2nd May  1944
PEEVERS, Thomas Alexander	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  417232   RNZAF	2nd May  1944
SACHTLER, Euen William	Age 24	Squadron Leader  41362   RNZAF	2nd May  1944
Rieux Communal Cemetery, France.
BETLEY, Ronald Desmond Ernest	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 421495 RNZAF	16th June 1944
COOK, Peter Jackson	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 42708 RNZAF	16th June 1944
HALE, Lawrence Eastmure	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  42395   RNZAF	16th June  1944
TOOHEY, Edward Wallace	Age 22	Warrant Officer 416672   RNZAF	16th June  1944
Therouldeville Churchyard, France.
RITCHIE, Alfred Henry	Age 22	Sergeant  40207   RNZAF	22nd December  1940
Tillieres-Sur-Avre Communal Cemetery, France.
DONAGHY, Thomas Rodgers	Age 33	Flight Sergeant 422267 RNZAF	11th June    1944
Valenciennes (St Roch) Communal Cemetery, France.
DIMOCK, Vallance Albert Oliver	Age 22	Sergeant     412317    RNZAF	25th October 1942
McCONNELL, James Allison	Age 21	Sergeant  414646   RNZAF	25th October  1942
SMITH, Selwyn Clarence	Age 29	Sergeant  41952   RNZAF	25th October  1942
TONKIN, Douglas Noel	Age 22	Sergeant  413285   RNZAF	25th October  1942
Ville-Sur-Retourne Churchyard, France.
HUGHILL, Howard James	Age 21	Sergeant  414293   RNZAF	25th October  1942
Yevres Communal Cemetery, France.
STOKES, Noel Alfred Deal	Age 25	Flight Lieutenant  421403   RNZAF	29th July  1944
GERMANY
Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany.
ERIKSON, Mervyn Arthur	Age 26	Pilot Officer 416103 RNZAF	24th August 1943
FISK, Joseph George Arkless	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  412874   RNZAF	1st September  1943
HELM, George Vincent	Age 23	Pilot Officer  416113   RNZAF	1st September  1943
HOPE, Lawrence Beresford Hamilton	Age 28	Warrant Officer  40940   RNZAF	19th April  1945
LUNDON, Francis Patrick	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  404718   RNZAF	24th August  1943
MOSS, Douglas Hamilton	Age 23	Pilot Officer  404653   RNZAF	24th August  1943
SEDUNARY, Alan Joseph Lyall   DFC	Age 20	Pilot Officer  416619    RAAF	24th August  1943
STEWART, Donald MacKay	Age 29	Flight Sergeant 421336  RNZAF	1st September 1943
THIRD, James	Age 34	Pilot Officer  422671   RNZAF	24th August  1943
THORSTENSEN, Frederick William	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  414529   RNZAF	24th August  1943
WOOLCOTT, Douglas George	Age 23	Sergeant  1290189   RAFVR	24th August  1943
Becklingen War Cemetery, Germany
BRISCO, Robert Hylton	Age 26	Sergeant 411204 RNZAF	29th July 1942
CAITCHEON, Gordon Edwin	Age 28	Sergeant 404016 RNZAF	29th July 1942
CAMPBELL, Alan	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 391857 RNZAF	29th July 1942
CARNCROSS, Murray Ellis	Age 19	Pilot Officer 411718 RNZAF	29th July 1942
DAVIS, Ronald Fraser	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 403569 RNZAF	29th July 1942
HUTT, George Alister	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  41914   RNZAF	29th July 1942
McMURCHY, James Gordon	Age 31	Sergeant  405539   RNZAF	29th July 1942
O’SHEA, William Clerken	Age 28	Sergeant  411096   RNZAF	29th July 1942
SAVAGE, John Henry	Age 33	Sergeant  404620   RNZAF	29th July 1942
STEWART, Ian Gordon	Age 20	Sergeant  404623   RNZAF	29th July 1942
SUTHERLAND, Alexander George	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  405340   RNZAF	29th July 1942
TABOR, Adrian Oscar	Age 25	Sergeant  411104   RNZAF	29th July 1942
WESTERMAN, Victor Kenneth	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  41970   RNZAF	29th July 1942
WILSON, Peter John	Age 22	Flight Lieutenant  402475   RNZAF	29th July 1942
Hamburg War Cemetery, Germany.
CORLETT, Geoffrey Scott	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 42289 RNZAF	3rd August 1943
COUPER, James Arthur	Age 31	Flight Sergeant 417027 RNZAF	3rd August 1943
CRARER, Thomas Eric	Age 21	Sergeant 405475 RNZAF	29th July 1942
HAWKINS, Anthony Henry Ryder	Age 20	Sergeant  40971   RNZAF	15th September  1941
REEVES, Sydney Cecil Oliver	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  42339   RNZAF	3rd August  1943
WARD, James Allen   VC	Age 22	Sergeant  401793   RNZAF	15th September  1941
Hanover War Cemetery, Germany.
ADAMSON, David Maurice	Age 27	Flying Officer 41052 RNZAF	28th September 1943
DALZELL, Errol Thomas Paterson	Age 22	Pilot Officer 411378 RNZAF	28th August 1942
HAUB, Darcy Leslie Conrad	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  42326   RNZAF	31st August 1943
HOGAN, Denis Patrick	Age 23	Sergeant  412331   RNZAF	28th August  1942
JACKSON, Kensington Campbell	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  42330   RNZAF	31st August  1943
RIDDLER, Stanley Winston	Age 22	Sergeant  424999   RNZAF	3rd October  1943
ROBERTS, Eric John	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  417107   RNZAF	31st August  1943
TUNBRIDGE, Victor Arthur	Age 28	Sergeant  411788   RNZAF	28th August  1942
WAEREA, Tame Hawaikirangi	Age 29	Pilot Officer  421300   RNZAF	28th September  1943
WHITMORE, Richard Charles	Age 22	Pilot Officer  421123   RNZAF	28th September  1943
Kiel War Cemetery, Germany.
AITCHISON, Campbell Ewen Justin	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 402974 RNZAF	12th March 1942
BELL, Maurice Perrott	Age 26	Pilot Officer 404882 RNZAF	29th March 1942
BROWN, John Lukies	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 402534 RNZAF	12th March 1942
CRAN, Franklyn Bertram	Age 21	Sergeant 405237 RNZAF	29th March 1942
FIRTH, Ellison George	Age 19	Sergeant  412218   RNZAF	13th October  1942
FRASER, Myles Frederick Gordon	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  403437   RNZAF	16th May  1942
HARRIS, Claude Joseph	Age 31	Sergeant  404028   RNZAF	29th March  1942
McDONALD, Murray Alexander	Age 23	Sergeant  400352   RAAF	12th March  1942
PARKINSON, Lewis Harry	Age 20	Sergeant  412518   RNZAF	13th October  1942
SMITH, Albert Ivan	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  402221   RNZAF	16th May  1942
WATTERS, Ventry	Age 22	Sergeant  413522   RNZAF	13th October  1942
WHITING, Norman Edward	Age 27	Sergeant  404107   RNZAF	16th May  1942
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
ANDERSON, Ronald Alexander John	Age 26	Flight Sergeant 36139 RNZAF	20th July 1940
BARCLAY, Thomas Smith	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 411358 RNZAF	12th August 1942
BISSET, Stuart Richard	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 415738 RNZAF	23rd June 1943
BLANK, John Frederick	Age 20	Flight Sergeant 422175 RNZAF	23rd June 1943
BOAG, Robert James	Age 24	Flight Sergeant 432097 RAAF	30th November 1944
BROWN, Alfred Errol	Age 25	Flying Officer 429139 RNZAF	21st March 1945
COLES, Thomas Edward	Age 28	Sergeant 40161 RNZAF	7th September 1942
COWIE, James Lindis	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 42322 RNZAF	22nd November 1943
FRAMPTON, Laurie Albert	Age 20	Sergeant  411753   RNZAF	29th July  1942
GIBSON, John Cuthbert McKechnie	Age 29	Sergeant  40435 2  RNZAF	7th November  1941
GRIMES, Harold Dawson	Age 26	Sergeant  404532   RAAF	15th October  1941
HAZARD, Whelan Fallon	Age 20	Flying Officer  429047   RNZAF	12th August  1944
HOLLOWAY, Edgar John	Age 29	Flying Officer  429923   RNZAF	21st March  1945
INGLIS, William Gordon Lloyd	Age 27	Sergeant  411758   RNZAF	12th August  1942
JARVIS, Claude Joseph Frederick	Age 22	Sergeant  411722   RNZAF	7th September  1942
JOHNS, Arthur Grahame	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  41907   RNZAF	29th July  1942
KAVANAGH, Stanley Leo	Age 24	Warrant Officer  403579   RNZAF	30th May  1943
KRALJEVICH, Mark	Age 25	Sergeant  403458   RNZAF	29th July  1942
MACKENZIE, Stanley Henry	Age 23	Flying Officer  422418   RNZAF	22nd November  1943
MacPHAIL, Allan Corson Anderson	Age 30	Sergeant  41194   RNZAF	30th May  1943
MARSHALL, Eric William Elliott	Age 31	Flight Sergeant  415637   RNZAF	23rd May  1944
McCARTIN, Patrick Leo	Age 28	Flying Officer  419328   RAAF	20th November  1944
McINTOSH, James Alexander	Age 26	Flying Officer  411915   RNZAF	30th November  1944
McWILLIAM, Allan	Age 20	Sergeant  416586   RNZAF	30th May  1943
MILLS, George William	Age 27	Pilot Officer  411769   RNZAF	7th September  1942
MORGAN, Robert Carhampton	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  421389   RNZAF	30th November  1944
NEWMAN, Robert Wynne	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  4210960   RNZAF	30th November  1944
NORMAN, Raymond Fraser	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  416145   RNZAF	30th May  1943
OWEN, John Lewis	Age 24	Sergeant  391332   RNZAF	20th July  1940
PAYNE, Douglas Beardsley	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  426917   RNZAF	23rd May  1944
PLUMMER, Jack    DFC	Age 29	Flight Lieutenant  42451   RNZAF	21st March  1945
RAMSAY, William Robertson	Age 25	Sergeant  405508   RNZAF	9th June  1942
ROBERTSON, Trevor Bernard	Age 26	Pilot Officer  404948   RNZAF	15th October  1941
SAMSON, George King	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  402563   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
SAUL, Norman Priestley	Age 30	Sergeant  411730   RNZAF	7th September  1942
SCOTT, Russell James	Age 23	Flying Officer  428984   RNZAF	21st March  1945
SHARMAN, George William	Age 27	Sergeant  412746   RNZAF	7th September  1942
SMITH, Rupert John	Age 26	Pilot Officer  41950   RNZAF	9th June 1942
STEWART, Leslie Ian	Age 25	Sergeant  41178 5  RNZAF	29th July  1942
THORNLEY, Sydney Russell	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  40109   RNZAF	30th May  1943
TURNER, John Cecil	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  421115   RNZAF	22nd November  1943
WARRING, Robert John	Age 21	Sergeant  411110   RNZAF	12th August  1942
WOOD, James Haswell	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  425811   RNZAF	21st March  1945
Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
ANDERSEN, Kenneth Peder Christian	Age 28	Flight Sergeant 429128 RNZAF	4th November 1944
ASHWIN, Eric Lumley Durham	Age 22	Sergeant 41563 RNZAF	17th December 1942
BENNETT, Raymond Frederick	Age 29	Pilot Officer 415282 RNZAF	30th May 1943
BERNARD, Arthur George	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 424964 RNZAF	22nd November1943
BUDGE, William Finlay	Age 24	Pilot Officer 41977 RNZAF	6th April 1942
CAREY, John Henry Roy	Age 27	Flight Sergeant 414242 RNZAF	30th May 1943
CLARK, Mervyn Oliver	Age 20	Pilot Officer 404895 RNZAF	17th December 1942
COOMBRIDGE, Trevor Walter	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 42653 RNZAF	27th December 1944
CURLEWIS, Raymond Fullerton	Age 25	Sergeant 402230 RAAF	11th October 1941
DALE, James Atkinson	Age 27	Flying Officer 425562 RNZAF	25th August 1944
DEBENHAM, Kevin Frederick	Age 26	Pilot Officer 412211 RNZAF	16th April 1943
DEVLIN, Kevin John	Age 26	Pilot Officer 413334 RNZAF	11th September 1942
FLEMING, James Allan	Age 27	Flying Officer  422382   RNZAF	25th August  1944
GALLETLY, Alan Russell	Age 33	Pilot Officer  427481   RNZAF	5th October  1944
HASELDEN, Howard Clive McLeish	Age 22	Sergeant  403003   RNZAF	18th September  1941
HENLEY, Douglas Charles   MiD	Age 23	Pilot Officer  414622   RNZAF	1st September  1943
HOWARD, Edward John Francis	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  424469   RNZAF	4th November  1944
HOWLETT, Arthur Douglas	Age 32	Flying Officer  413335   RNZAF	23rd September  1943
JACOBSON, Gerald Howard	Age 27	Flying Officer  41333   RNZAF	17th December  1942
JARVIS, William Louis	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  414691   RAAF	23rd September  1943
KELCHER, Walter Foch	Age 23	Sergeant  411908   RNZAF	11th September  1942
KENDAL, Christopher James	Age 21	Sergeant  412342   RNZAF	17th December  1942
KIRKPATRICK, Laurence John	Age 20	Flying Officer  414990   RNZAF	23rd September  1943
MacLEOD, Norman Alexander	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  404079   RNZAF	30th May  1943
MARGETTS, John Edward Stanley	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  422665   RNZAF	22nd November  1943
McALPINE, Walter Duncan	Age 30	Pilot Officer  403551   RNZAF	17th December  1942
METCALFE, Thomas Otto	Age 19	Sergeant  414386   RNZAF	11th September  1942
MILES, Haddon Shaw	Age 27	Flying Officer  421746   RNZAF	27th December 1 944
MOSLEY, Stuart Edwin	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  426106   RNZAF	5th October  1944
MURPHY, Timothy Rowley	Age 20	Sergeant  404037   RNZAF	11th October  1941
PULLAR, Henry Welsh	Age 25	Sergeant  411777   RNZAF	17th December  1942
SANDS, Hugh Powell	Age 26	Flying Officer  403287   RNZAF	23rd September  1943
SCOTT, Alexander	Age 20	Sergeant  413484   RNZAF	3rd December  1942
SCOTT, Alistair Henry	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  428259   RNZAF	4th November  1944
SCOTT, John Harold	Age 29	Flying Officer  428797   RNZAF	4th November  1944
SINGLE, Alan Roy	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  413144   RAAF	22nd November  1943
SMITH, Ian Hector Ross	Age 34	Flight  Sergeant  421614   RNZAF	1st September  1943
SMITH, Phillip Francis	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  427206   RAAF	20th November  1944
SOUTHWARD, Keith	Age 28	Flying Officer  411048   RNZAF	6th October  1944
STOKES, Wallace Frederick	Age 27	Sergeant  412326   RNZAF	17th December  1942
THOMPSON, Colin Maurice	Age 23	Sergeant  404427   RNZAF	11th October  1941
WALSHE, Desmond James	Age 25	Sergeant  412912   RNZAF	11th September  1942
WATSON, Clifford Arnold	Age 34	Flying Officer  421946   RNZAF	1st September  1943
WELSH, Neville Henry	Age 20	Flight Sergeant  391334   RNZAF	15th October  1941
WHITE, William George Henry	Age 27	Sergeant  41717   RNZAF	17th December  1942
WHITTINGTON, Eric Richmond	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  416030   RNZAF	22nd November  1943
WILKINSON, Ernest Stanley	Age 25	Pilot Officer  417138   RNZAF	6th September  1943
WOOD, Frederick Lionel Roy	Age 23	Sergeant  404439   RNZAF	15th October  1941
Sage War Cemetery, Germany.
BRODIE, Andrew Moore	Age 25	Sergeant 391378 RNZAF	21st February 1941
BUCKLEY, Wallace Edward	Age 28	Pilot Officer 391379 RNZAF	21st June 1942
GILL, John Trevor Vivian	Age 27	Sergeant  403362   RNZAF	4th September  1942
GRANT, Horace Llewellyn	Age 27	Sergeant  405254   RNZAF	4th September  1942
LEES, Reginald Sidney	Age 26	Pilot Officer  404907   RNZAF	27th July 1942
LOWTHER, Peter Desmond	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  403583   RNZAF	11th July  1942
NEWMAN, Richard Alfred William	Age 24	Sergeant  405309   RNZAF	4th September  1942
RENTON, Rupert Ernest	Age 22	Sergeant  412352   RNZAF	4th September  1942
ROBERTSON, Norman Bruce	Age 25	Pilot Officer  411101   RNZAF	27th July  1942
SHARP, Richard Edwin	Age 23	Sergeant  405513   RNZAF	11th July  1942
SHEPHERD, Ian James	Age 26	Pilot Officer  404414   RNZAF	27th July  1942
TRENGROVE, Raymond Wickliffe John	Age 20	Pilot Officer  40927   RNZAF	21st June  1942
WINSTANLEY, James Francis	Age 20	Sergeant  412373   RNZAF	27th July  1942
Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany.
BARKER, Richard Stockdale	Age 28	Pilot Officer 421345 RNZAF	26th August 1944
BRIDGER, Cyril Jack	Age 26	Flight Sergeant 417192 RNZAF	28th August 1943
DAVEY, Charles Raglan	Age 21	Sergeant 413937 RNZAF	8th March 1943
FIRTH, Raymond	Age 28	Warrant Officer  417203   RNZAF	26th August  1944
HENDERSON, Matthew Ronald	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  427204   RNZAF	28th April  1944
HERRON, Robert Weir	Age 23	Flying Officer  422282   RNZAF	28th April  1944
HIGHAM, Frank Douglas	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  416116   RNZAF	28th August  1943
LOGAN, Clifford Charles Pownall	Age 28	Flying Officer  405918   RAAF	23rd September  1943
McLACHLAN, Euen Wilfred	Age 22	Flying Officer  415266   RNZAF	28th April  1944
NORTON, William George	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  413227   RNZAF	26th August  1944
PERKS, Eric	Age 29	Flight Sergeant  411934   RNZAF	29th August  1942
SMITH, Keith Alfred	Age 23	Warrant Officer  416022 RNZAF	28th April  1944
SOWERBY, Geoffrey Phillips	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  417243   RNZAF	23rd September  1943
HOLLAND
Aardenburg General Cemetery, Holland.
HEWETT, Harold Max	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  419311   RAAF	12th May  1944
Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery, Holland.
BLINCOE, Kenneth Howard DFC	Age 33	Pilot Officer 412194  RNZAF	3rd February 1943
CLEARWATER, Desmond	Age 24	Sergeant 412314 RNZAF	3rd February 1943
COOK, George Wood	Age 24	Sergeant 412514 RNZAF	3rd February 1943
SCOTT, Andrew James Newell	Age 21	Pilot Officer  414685   RNZAF	3rd February  1943
Amsterdam New Eastern Cemetery, Holland.
ANNAN, William Douglas Francis	Age 20	Sergeant 391377 RNZAF	26th July 1940
BYRNE, Martin John	Age 32	Flight Sergeant 404529 RNZAF	29th July 1942
COLEMAN, William Harcourt DFC	Age 23	Flying Officer 2526 RNZAF	26th July 1940
GILBERTSON, John Edward	Age 22	Flight Sergeant  41894   RNZAF	29th July  1942
PERROTT, William Rosser	Age 21	Flying Officer  416155   RNZAF	25th June  1943
Beesd General Cemetery, Holland.
JOBLIN, Frederick John Leigh	Age 25	Sergeant  417063   RNZAF	24th May  1943
TURNBULL, George Watson	Age 24	Sergeant  421342   RNZAF	24th May  1943
TIETJENS, Stephen Muir	Age 26	Sergeant  415640   RNZAF	24th May 1 943
Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery, Holland.
BLACK, John William	Age 27	Flight Sergeant 402843 RNZAF	7th November 1941
COOKSEY, James Brett	Age 23	Flight Sergeant 416460 RNZAF	24th June 1943
FOTHERINGHAM, Robert Ewen Ernest	Age 29	Sergeant  391833   RNZAF	16th July  1941
GRAY, Trevor Hedley	Age 27	Sergeant  404356   RNZAF	7th November  1941
LLOYD, Eric	Age 28	Pilot Officer  402197   RNZAF	7th November  1941
MURDOCH, Graham Edward	Age 26	Pilot Officer  411927   RNZAF	9th June  1942
O’DOWD, Albert William	Age 25	Sergeant  41544   RNZAF	9th June  1942
PENMAN, Alexander Mitchell	Age 23	Flying Officer  416154   RNZAF	21st October  1944
Doetinchem (Loolaan) General Cemetery, Holland.
HARRISON, Alfred Herbert	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  403000   RNZAF	8th November  1941
WYLLIE, Thomas Young	Age 25	Sergeant  404011   RNZAF	8th November  1941
Eindhoven (Woensel) General Cemetery, Holland.
GILMOUR, Hugh Edward	Age 24	Warrant Officer  422667   RAAF	21st July  1944
MILLS, Samuel	Age 32	Flight Sergeant  425036   RAAF	21st July  1944
OSBORNE, John Edward	Age 23	Flight Sergeant  417877   RAAF	21st July  1944
Flushing  (Vlissingen) Northern Cemetery, Holland.
BLUCK, Norman Bradford	Age 22	Pilot Officer 40364 RNZAF	24th June 1943
STRONG, Geoffrey Walter	Age 31	Flight Sergeant  413905   RNZAF	24th June  1943
Gilze-En-Rijen (Gilze) Roman Catholic Cemetery,  Holland.
COOK, Stephen Astley	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 421142 RNZAF	28th May 1944
SCOTT, Francis Alexander Jack	Age 28	Sergeant  421105   RNZAF	28th May  1944
Harderwijk General Cemetery, Holland.
THOMSON, Gordon Douglas	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 42317   RNZAF	25th June  1943
Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Nijmegen, Holland.
CALLOW, Horace	Age 27	Flying Officer 427185 RNZAF	21st July 1944
DOBBIN, Laurence St.George	Age 29	Flight Sergeant 401375 RNZAF	12th August 1942
HICKFORD, Leonard Charles	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  426886   RNZAF	21st July  1944
HOWELL, Edward	Age 21	Pilot Officer  428819   RNZAF	21st July  1944
JURY, Jack Leslie	Age 20	Sergeant  411764   RNZAF	12th August  1942
McKENZIE, Francis Max	Age 26	Pilot Officer  41344   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
REDWOOD, Gerard Henry	Age 34	Flight Sergeant  425012   RNZAF	21st July  1944
ROCHE, Gerald Brian	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  413219   RNZAF	21st July  1944
SMITH, Keith Emmett	Age 21	Flight Sergeant  425179   RNZAF	21st July  1944
Markelo General Cemetery, Holland.
BURBIDGE, Kenneth Alfred	Age 22	Flight Sergeant 412200 RNZAF	23rd June 1943
MARTIN, Donald Ernest	Age 26	Flight Sergeant  413872   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
McEWIN, Andrew James	Age 25	Flight Sergeant  417077   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
WILCOCKSON, Walter Frederick	Age 34	Flight Sergeant  42314   RNZAF	23rd June  1943
Oldebroek General Cemetery, Holland.
SMITH, Trevor Harry	Age 24	Pilot Officer  41953   RNZAF	9th July  1942
Rotterdam (Crooswijk) General Cemetery, Holland.
FOSTER, Ralph Owen	Age 29	Pilot Officer  402443   RNZAF	8th November  1941
RYDER, Robert Leslie Owen	Age 25	Pilot Officer  404626   RAAF	8th November  1941
WILSON, John Stephen	Age 27	Sergeant  402530   RNZAF	8th November  1941
Schiermonnikoog (Vredenhof) Cemetery, Holland.
CHRISTIE, Arthur Stafford	Age 21	Flight Sergeant 402982 RNZAF	21st June 1942
FRASER, Allan Armistice	Age 23	Flying Officer  405030   RNZAF	21st June  1942
YOUNG, George Anthony	Age 21	Sergeant  405771   RNZAF	9th July 1 942
Tilburg (Gilzerbaan) General Cemetery, Holland.
BURTT, Henry John	Age 31	Flying Officer 414560 RNZAF	21st July 1944
CRAWFORD, Henry Varley Gibb	Age 28	Sergeant 404339 RNZAF	7th September 1942
GILLAN, Gottfred Lyall	Age 21	Warrant Officer  42324   RNZAF	21st July  1944
GROVES, Alpheus Leslie	Age 30	Flight Sergeant  403574   RNZAF	7th September  1942
PARKES, William Ronald	Age 31	Flight Sergeant  403822   RNZAF	7th September  1942
ROSE, George Herbert	Age 30	Sergeant  391713   RNZAF	7th September  1942
WILSON, Eric Glover	Age 27	Flight Sergeant  403035   RNZAF	7th September  1942
Uden War Cemetery, Holland.
FLETCHER, Andrew Crawford	Age 24	Flight Sergeant  42675   RNZAF	21st July  1944
SIMPSON, Alfred Alexander	Age 28	Flight Sergeant  425212   RNZAF	21st July  1944
WHITTINGTON, Harold	Age 26	Pilot Officer  42488   RNZAF	21st July  1944
Westdongeradeel (Holwerd) Protestant Cemetery, Holland.
HEGAN, John Gordon George	Age 23	Sergeant  411075   RNZAF	30th June  1942
McGREGOR, Murdoch Gordon	Age 23	Sergeant  411079   RNZAF	30th June  1942
MONCRIEF, Eric Francis Sydney	Age 25	Sergeant  411087   RNZAF	30th June  1942
RANDLE, Douglas Haig	Age 24	Sergeant  405454   RNZAF	30th June  1942
Wierden General Cemetery, Holland.
McCULLOUGH, John   DFC	Age 30	Pilot Officer  40410 RNZAF	3rd February  1943
MURPHY, Terence Austin	Age 30	Sergeant  413307   RNZAF	3rd February 1943

Cambridge City Cemetery – Aircrew headstones recorded

A really big thank you to Adrian for taking the time to visit Cambridge City Cemetery to photograph the graves of the 75(NZ) Squadron aircrew who rest there. The 15 airmen that are buried in Cambridge Cemetery are from 8 crews, and were lost during operational and training flights and in one case owing to an extreme act of bravery.

I have decided to group the stones and present the airmen relative to the crews they flew in and the fates that befell them. The are listed in chronological order.

 

Sgt Raymond Herbert John Broady (RNZAF NZ39691) was piloting a Stirling bomber on a night flight, on the 28th of November 1942, whilst based at RAF Oakington, where ‘A’ Flight were converting from Wellingtons to Stirlings. Whilst attempting to avoid a head on collision with another Stirling (not a 75(NZ) a/c), his aircraft stalled which resulted in it crashing near Trinity Hall Farm, Oakington. All crew were killed or fatally injured, including a Sgt. Stanley Lawrence Drayton, who it is believed was based on the crew at Oakington.

Initially, Sgt. Robert James McWilliam (RCAF 93977) caused me some confusion – there being little sensible information in the Nominal Roll relating to him – only listing Kenneth Blincoe as his Pilot. The events of the training crash have been pondered over in the blog previously and the scant information regarding the crew on that night was based on hypothesis, based on the last recorded Op the crew flew. It strikes me now that the reason that 2 of these airmen were not killed in the crash is that they had actually left the Squadron – hence perhaps the presence of Robert McWilliam as the crews new Wireless Operator – also, though it seems obvious now – this is why I could find no other report of a crash on the 28th of November…

Sgt Alexander McIssac (RNZAF NZ412891), Rear Gunner, rests in Chevington Cemetery, Northumberland, England, as does the Air Bomber of the crew, Sgt. George Trueman Jobson (RAFVR 1287935). Rear Gunner Sgt Charles Thomas Rogers (RAFVR 1170921) is buried at Crowle (St. John the Baptist Churchyard) whilst the Flight Engineer of the crew, Sgt Ronald Oswald Dibben (RAFVR 1252627) is buried in Ham (St. Andrew) Churchyard.

Sgt. Stanley Lawrence Drayton (RAFVR 1331697), whose identity was the start of the initial research about this incident, rests in Newmarket Cemetery.

More information about the incident that night and the details of the crew that were lost can be read here.

 

On the night of 8th September 1943, whilst accelerating to take off, the Stirling bomber piloted by F/O. Ian Robert Menzies (RNZAF NZ415002) suddenly veered to the right of the runway and crashed firstly through a petrol bowser and then into two houses on the far side adjoining the perimeter track. It caught fire almost simultaneously, and in the fire, various bombs exploded, causing the aircraft to be a total wreck. Three members of the crew, a W.A.A.F. Officer of R.A.F. Station Mepal and an aircrew Sergeant, and 2 civilians were killed and other civilians were injured.

As well as killing Ian Menzies in the initial crash and explosion, F/O Norman Hathway Gale (RAFVR 849986/151013), the Air Bomber also died and now rests in Bristol (Canford) Cemetery. The Flight Engineer, Sgt Albert Leslie Mellor (RAFVR 943914) succumbed to his injuries and was buried in Buxton Cemetery, Derbyshire.

The aircrew Sergeant mentioned in this description was F/S Peter Gerald Dobson MiD (RNZAF NZ439022), who  was killed by exploding bombs as he went to the assistance of the aircrew crew and the occupants of the houses.
Mention in Despatches (14 Jan 1944):
“For bravery in action and meritorious fulfilment of duty”.

Section Officer Joan Majorie Easton (WAAF/RAF 2986) was also killed when, on attempting to aid the rescue of the aircrew and occupants of the houses, the aircraft’s bomb load exploded. Marjorie rests in Greenwich (Charlton and Kidbrook) Cemetery, London.

Read more about the events of that night here.

 

F/Sgt Walter Hurdle (RNZAF NZ421279), Rear Gunner with Eric Witting’s crew was killed on the 4th of November 1943 during an attack by an enemy aircraft.

The combat report, as is perhaps inevitable for a ‘report’, is stunningly matter of fact, not only about the attack, but also the death of Sgt. Hurdle.

 

Stirling Mk.III EF163 JN-L was one of 4 aircraft from the Squadron that took off to lay sea mines around the Frisian Islands on the 16th December 1943. The aircraft, Piloted by P/O Colin John Kinross (RNZAF NZ417069) crashed at Bidington Farm, Sutton, Cambridgeshire, in part through bad visibility and also, it is theorised, a hung up mine, that may have effected the aircraft’s centre of gravity. Colin and his Navigator and Air Bomber, F/O Ralph Francis Jenkin (RNZAF NZ416119) and  F/S Ronald Harry Emmerson (RAAF AUS.410330) lay in the cemetery.

Sgt Raymond Askew (RAFVR 1477972), Flight Engineer rests in  Seaton Hirst (St John) Churchyard Ashington, Sgt Willis Arthur Savage (RAF 1503913), the crew’s  Wireless Operator lays in Pendelbury (St. John) Churchyard and Sgt. John Albert Warner, Rear Gunner, rests in Bootle Cemetery, Lancashire. The Mid Upper Gunner, Sgt. S. Newman, survived the crash, injured.

 

F/Lt. Terence Douglas Blewett (RNZAF NZ414376) and crew crashed on their return from an attack on Wanne Eickel on the 17th of January 1945. Lancaster PB761 AA-Y, in serious trouble, crashed into a  barn at Wooditton, Suffolk. ‘Tim’ Blewett and the crew’s Air Bomber,  F/O John Stanley Wilson (RNZAF NZ426234) were killed instantly on impact. The Navigator,  F/S Bryant Thomas Cornell (RAFVR 139828) despite the valiant attempts of the surviving crew, succumbed to his injuries and is buried at Southgate Cemetery, Middlesex, England.

Read more about the crash here.

 

On the 26th of February 1945 Lancaster ME450 AA-W crashed on its return from a raid on Dortmund. The aircraft returned with the rest of the Squadron and was seen flying in formation over Mepal, but for some unknown reason crashed soon after, very close to Chatteris gasworks. The crash killed 5 of the 7 crew. The Navigator and Air Bomber,Sgt George William McManus (RAFVR 1806217)  and F/S Joseph McKenzie Alfred (RAFVR 1810280), respectively lay in Cambridge Cemetery. The crew’s Pilot, F/O Noel Humphrey Thorpe (RNZAF NZ428168) lays in Ilford (Barkingside) Cemetery, Essex,Sgt Frederick Henry Saffill (RAFVR 1882066) the Mid Upper Gunner, rests in Maldon Cemetery, Essex and the Flight Engineer, Sgt John Lawrence Duke (RAFVR 2210530), who was only 19 is buried at Stockport Crematorium, having succumbed to his injuries 2 days after the crash.

All these grave stone photographs and others I have already collected have been added to the respective sections of the alphabetical Roll of Honour.

Allan Alexander and the crew of AA-U

Allan Mason Forbes Alexander, Pilot. Taken around 1943 © Allan Alexander/ NZBCA Archive

Many thanks to Chris for his continuing stream of photographs from the NZBCA Archive visit. This time some wonderful photographs of Allan Alexander and his crew. Allan and the crew of AA-U hold a fond place in my heart. They were the first crew that I ‘discovered’ on the internet after Bob passed away and really provided me with a first understanding of a ‘crew’ and the relationship they had.

Mid Upper Gunner with the Alexander crew – Armstrong ‘Doc’ Lyon © Allan Alexander/ NZBCA Archive

Armstrong ‘Doc’ Lyon, Mid Upper Gunner with the Alexander crew. Whilst I wait to be corrected, I think the only American in 75(NZ) Squadron. Born in Marbarth, Pennsylvania, Armstrong went to Canada and enlisted in Montreal 25th June 1941. After his tour with Allan, ‘Doc’ completed a second tour with 214 Squadron, where he was commissioned and also awarded the D.F.C.

Distinguished Flying Cross – No.214 Squadron – Award effective 5 February 1945 as per London Gazette dated 16 February 1945 and AFRO 563/45 dated 29 March 1945. American in the RCAF.
No citation other than;
“completed… numerous operations against the enemy in the course of which [he has] invariably displayed the utmost fortitude, courage and devotion to duty.”

Public Records Office Air 2/8830 has recommendation dated 16 November 1944 when he had flown 56 sorties (288 hours 35 minutes). It is a particularly interesting document in that the Station CO, G/C T.C. Dickens, writes on 19 November that Lyon is;
“A really excellent Air Gunner…The personal successes of the Warrant Officer have proved an inspiration to all aircrew on the Station, in that over two operational tours this Air Gunner is officially credited with four enemy night fighters destroyed (one shared) and two damaged.”

Allan stood in front of BK777 AA-U ‘Alexanders Ragtime Crew’. The other individual is unknown, but judging by the relative darkness of his uniform, could be Australian. © Allan Alexander/ NZBCA Archive

The Alexander crew flew the majority of their tour with 75(NZ) Squadron in BK777 AA-U. When I first came across the Alexander crew, I was ignorant to the fact that AA-U had nose art – a post on the Wings Over New Zealand forum alerted me to the artwork and also the name of  BK777 – ‘Alexanders Ragtime Crew’.

One must assume, one of the aircraft the Alexander crew flew in, though it is impossible to tell whether it is AA-U, or another. © Allan Alexander/ NZBCA Archive

 

Stirling bomber being refuelled – identities of individuals unknown. © Allan Alexander/ NZBCA Archives

View across the wing of a Stirling bomber – perhaps BK777 AA-U – and perhaps Allan standing on the far starboard engine ? © Allan Alexander/ NZBCA Archive

 

Allan, sat middle of middle row ‘C Squad’ 19A Course, 16th August 1941 I.T.W. Levin © Allan Alexander/ NZBCA Archive

Read more about the Alexander crew here.
Read a transcript of an interview Allan did with New Zealand Radio here.

 

 

Film clip of Jimmy Ward V.C. – the right man, in the right spot, at the right time…….

Many thanks to Dave for posting a wonderful, albeit short movie clip of Jimmy Ward V.C. talking about his award, on the 75 Squadron, RAF/ RNZAF Association Facebook page. I had no idea that such a clip existed, but I think what is truly touching is that the modesty and perhaps slight awkwardness that has often been written about James and the spotlight he fell under is shown in this short clip, after his heroic actions on the night of the 7th July 1941 after a raid on Münster.

I reproduce text from ‘New Zealanders in the Air War’, by Alan W. Mitchell, that I posted originally about James Ward’s exploits…….

The din died. The sergeant pilot threw off his nervousness, and, in a boyish voice, edged with precision, he said:
“ We’ve got here to-night a number of chaps hiding themselves in a corner who’ve done more than we’ve ever done. They’re the ground-crews who look after our kites. They don’t get anything like this. There are no V.C.’s for them, but if they didn’t do a first-class job for us, as they all do, we wouldn’t get back. Those chaps—they keep our kites in first-class order.”

Then, as the cheering welled out again, he slipped away to a window. He sat on the ledge, his head bowed, half smiling nervously as the cheers gave way to the singing of “ For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.”

A jolly good fellow. It was an understatement. If any of those singing men had been asked at that moment what they thought of Sergeant Pilot James Allen Ward, New Zealand’s first V.C. of this war, they would have stared and said with intensity, “ He’s a bloody fine little chap. He’s got all the guts in the world.”

read the full chapter from ‘New Zealanders in the Air War’ here.

McCaskill crew – Florennes Cemetery, Belgium

The McCaskill crew, lost 15th April 1943. Now resting as a crew in Florennes Cemetery, Belgium

Many thanks to Guy for responding to my original request a couple of weeks ago for pictures of the gravestones of the individuals listed on the Roll of Honour. Regular readers to the blog will be well aware of Guy’s amazing efforts to contact the relatives of the McCaskill crew, who were lost on the 15th April 1943, their Stirling crashing in Nismes Forest, near Regniessart. All crew were killed and now rest in  the municipal cemetery of Florennes.

Guy is working in conjunction with the Municipality of Viroinval, in Belgium to gather information to add to the Municipalities commemorations in 2014 of the 100th anniversary of the 1st World War and the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. To this end, anything that we might still be able to provide him with would be fantastic and add to the story of the McCaskill boys for these celebrations and on the 8th May 2015 when they will be commemorated.

Read previous posts on the McCaskill crew and Guy’s efforts;
McCaskill crew – killed 15th April 1943. Crashed Forest of Nismes, Belgium – here
Donald Gordon McCaskill RNZAF NZ413573 – Pilot. 1943 (logbook) – here.
The McCaskill crew – more information – here.
More information on the McCaskill crew – Reginald Green – here.
More information on the McCaskill crew, courtesy of Guy – here.
More information on the McCaskill crew, courtesy of Guy – Ron Smith – here.

These gravestone images have been added to the Roll of Honour (Alphabetical) section of the blog.

 

Roll of Honour – Cemeteries by country. United Kingdom updated

Owing to the dire TV on over Easter Sunday, I am pleased to announce that all of the grave details have now been added to the United Kingdom section of the Cemeteries by country section of the Roll of Honour. If any of you have planned perhaps to go visit some of the boys, these grave location information should at least make them easier to find…….

See the updated United Kingdom section here.

Project ORB update – Form 540 January 1945 complete.

My  thanks as always to Brian for his continuing efforts transcribing the Squadron ORB’s. I am pleased to announce and present  another  new complete Form 540 for January 1945.

We now only need July completed and the whole of the 1945 Form 540 is complete.

I will once again, repeat my call out to all of you for volunteers to join Brian, Hubert and Martyn in the ORB project – every month that someone finds the time to transcribe, completes another small part of the overall Squadron record and provides more information for people visiting the website.

View January here.

New addition to the Roll of Honour – listing by Cemetery and Country

By way of assisting people in hopefully providing pictures of the graves stones of the members of 75(NZ) Squadron RAF in the Roll of Honour, I have re-ordered Kevin King’s original Roll of Honour, based alphabetically on the cemeteries where the individuals lay. To make your searches easier, I have then broken the list down to individual pages relating to the countries where these cemeteries are located.

Additional to the original RoH information I have added 2 additional columns – one which will eventually list the Commonwealth War Graves location of the graves – I have so far only added a few grave numbers to each country’s page to preserve the layout of each table – and a final column which will identify if a picture has been submitted for the grave.

After my post about my visit to Buxton Cemetery I laid down the offer of receiving photographs from any body who wished to contribute them – I also suggested that rather than pull images from the web, perhaps people should visit the graves again, or perhaps for the first time and give some time to remember the sacrifice these individuals made without question, so that today we can only try to imagine how they could…….

The new RoH list is at the top of the alphabetical list – each country as a separate jump off from there. Alternatively, you can go straight to a specific country list from the links listed below;

United Kingdom here.
Belgium here.
Denmark here.
France here.
Germany here.
Holland here.
Poland here.
Sweden here.

I plan to to try to add the grave photographs to the original alphabetically listed Roll of Honour – WordPress and layout allowing…….

90,000 Visits – As always, thank you………

It seems like it is now barely a month between these posts recording another 10,000 visits to the blog. As I always say – many thanks to everyone for either discovering the blog and taking the time to explore it and for those of you who are regulars who keep coming back day after day to read the new posts that go up

I’ll put my hands up and confess that this last 10,000 has perhaps not shown me at my most prolific regarding postings, but I managed a few last weekend and with a bit of breathing space regarding work over the next 2 weeks I hope to tidy up some loose ends, finish some research and get some more stories posted up.

Once again many thanks to everybody and the next time I make a post like this, we will have reached 6 figures……..

Simon

Do you recognise this airman? – ‘Bill’, 1941, billeted in Sutton, RNZAF………

Many thanks to Dave for alerting me to this picture and then to Jacqui for providing it to the blog. We have a little bit of a mystery, regarding the identity of whom I think to be a Maori Airman, clearly a member of the RNZAF

Jacqui’s Grandparents lived in Sutton village and took in lodgers from the airbase. The query from Jacqui said ‘picture 1941’ – now of course, Mepal was only built and made operational in 1943 – so perhaps either the date is incorrect, or perhaps our mystery airman may have stayed in Sutton and been stationed at Witchford.

As with all of these sorts of query posts, I’d be fascinated to hear anybody’s thoughts or ideas as to the identity of this airman called ‘Bill’…….

Lest we forget…….

A recent post from Adrian after my post about visiting Buxton Cemetery has condensed early thoughts about adding pictures of the gravestones of the brave boys of 75(NZ) Squadron to the Nominal Roll section of the blog.

So, I would ask anybody who lives near to the resting place of a lost airman to go and visit them and photograph their grave. Perhaps also, think about it like this, rather than send a picture you might have taken some time ago, go again and take a new photograph – remember them and think about what they were prepared to do night after night, so that now, we can remember what they did, rather than fear for what we might do if asked to do the same…….

Ake Ake Kia Kaha

A final mystery solved – Roy Wells wedding photograph……

Group photograph taken on 1st July, 1944 at Joy and Roy’s reception outside No. 9. From left to right: W/O N.A.L. Wells (Medical Technician Branch (Uncle of all the Wells’ in the picture)), Stuart Edwin Mosely (Navigator – Galletly crew), Joyce Wells, Roy Wells (Air Bomber – Galletly crew), Allan Galletly (Pilot), Cyril Leslie Wells ATC (Roy’s younger brother). In foreground: Mureen Snook (neighbour’s daughter) & a young Michael Wells.

I heard from Mike last night regarding a little bit more information on the  photograph above, of his Uncle, Roy Wells, Air Bomber with the Galletly crew, who were lost on the night of 5th October 1944 on a raid to Saarbrucken. All the crew were lost when they collided with another Lancaster from 115 Squadron – the more ironic, given that despite the collision taking place over Wolsfeld, Kries Bitburg, north west of Trier, 115 Squadron were based at Witchford, some 3 miles from Mepal were 75(NZ) flew from.

Having recently moved, Mike was going through some things and found a letter sent from Joyce to Roy. Fascinatingly, within the letter, Joyce asked Roy how Alan, Stuart and the crew were. Mike’s postulation and I am inclined to agree, is that given Joyce mentions both Allan and Stuart by name, she must have known or met them. After posting details of Roy, I was contacted by Alan, whose uncle was Alan Galletly, Roy’s Skipper. Alan was able to answer one question as to the identity of the 2 unknown individuals in the picture above – identifying Alan as being the airman second from right in the picture. It would seem Mike has now managed to name the final mystery airman in the photograph – F/S Stuart Edwin Mosely, the Navigator in the Galletly crew.

75(NZ) Squadron ORB’s – errors and gaps……Part 3.

Oh dear, as I am going through the ORB’s – I wonder whether this might become a regular slot……

This time relating to Form 541 March 1945.

The Munster Op that begins on Page 158 (based on complete ORB pdf numbering) is duplicated on the following Page 159.

The document then continues.

More Pictures of Tapua Heperi – Wireless Operator Clement crew

Photograph from “Lou Woodward”. Chris doesn’t think that this is one of the ‘Woodwards’ that served in 75(NZ) as their dates of activity with the Squadron are before Tapua’s arrival.

Chris passed 3 more fantastic pictures of ‘Tap’ Hepari on to me, so I thought it was worth doing a separate post to present them, after adding the image in the  post to the ‘Maori aircrew who served with 75(NZ) Squadron 39-45‘ page of the blog.

We believe all of these pictures of Tap to have been taken before his arrival at 75(NZ), simply because the original attribution of the images are not names found in the Squadron Nominal Roll – so perhaps  when he was training in Canada, or just after his arrival in the UK, prior to posting to Mepal.

As always, if you have any information on these images, please get in contact!

Photo from “Ian Petrie”, but no individual by that name in the 75(NZ) nominal roll, so perhaps this guy and Tap trained together before Tap arrived at the Squadron…?

Another photograph from “Lou Woodward”. Both Tap and the individual at front left are W/Op’s, so possibly a group of W/Op’s out on the town.

More information on the McCaskill crew, courtesy of Guy – Ron Smith

Sgt Ronald Alexander Smith RNZAF NZ415378, Rear Gunner with the McCaskill crew. Died on the 15th April 1943, on the Stuttgart Op, age 21. Picture taken during training.

As always, many thanks to Guy for passing on more of his research into Donald McCaskill’s crew who were all lost on the 15th April 1943, their Stirling crashing in Nismes Forest, near Regniessart, whilst returning from a raid on Stuttgart.

Guy  has been continuing to search for information on the crew and is turning up some wonderful connections with relatives of the boys. He is working in conjunction with the Municipality of Viroinval, in Belgium to gather information to add to the Municipalities commemorations in 2014 of the 100th anniversary of the 1st World War and the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

As I always say regarding this subject and Guy’s efforts, anything that can still discovered about the crew would add to the story of the McCaskill boys within these commemorations.

Guy’s latest offering relates to Sgt Ronald Alexander Smith, Rear Gunner in the crew.

Ron with 4 other members of the McCaskill crew I believe. From left to right: Unknown, Ronald Smith – Rear Gunner, Donald McCaskill – Pilot, unknown, Reginald Green – Wireless Operator

Ronald Alexander Smith was born at Lauriston on the 29th October, 1921 and received his secondary education at the Ashburton High School, were he gained the University Entrance examination and School Certificate.

The sports in which he was interested included cricket, rugby, swimming, boxing and athletics. He played for his School first fifteen and first eleven.

After leaving School, he was employed by the Atlantic Union Oil Company Ltd., Ashburton, and at the time of his making application for aircrew training on the 30th January, 1941, he was employed as a clerical cadet by the New Zealand Government Wellington. He served for ten months in the Territorials.

Ronald Smith was enlisted at the Initial Training Wing Levin on the 30th September, 1941 and on completion of his initial training he embarked on the 8th January, 1942 for Canada under the Empire Air Training Scheme. Ronald Smith arrived at N° 1 “N” Depot, Debert, Nova Scotia on the 5 February, and he was posted on the 15th of the same month to the N° 14 Service Flying training School, Aylmer, Ontario, where his flying training was terminated and he was posted to the Composite Training School Trenton and remustered to an Air Gunner and posted on the 21st June, to N° 4 Bombing and Gunnery School Fingal, Ontario, where on the 14th August, he was awarded the Air Gunner badge and promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

On the 15th September, he was posted to N° 1 “Y” Depot Halifax, Novia Scotia, to await embarkation to the United Kingdom.

Ron, stood in the center, flanked by two unknown individuals at some point in his training.

Sergeant Smith arrived at N° 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth on the 9th October 1942, and was posted on the 28th of the same month to N° 11 Operational Training Unit. With this Unit at Westcott, Buckinghamshire, and the Satellite Airfield at Oakley, he crewed up and completed his training on Wellington bomber aircraft.

Early in February, 1943, he converted to Stirling aircraft at N° 1657 Conversion Unit, Stradishall, Suffolk, before posting on the 13th March, to N° 75 New Zealand Squadron, Newmarket, Suffolk.

With this Squadron as the Air Gunner of Stirling aircraft he took part in four operational flights the targets including Frankfurt in Germany and minelaying to St Nazaire on the French Coast.

On the 14/15th April, 1943, Sergeant Smith was the Air Gunner of a Stirling aircraft which took off on an operational flight over enemy territory and failed to return to his base. All the members of the crew including Sergeant Smith were classified as missing.

Information received from the International Red Cross Committee stated that he had lost his life, and in consequence he was reclassified to Missing, Killed in Action.

Additional information received from the International Red Cross Committee revealed that he was buried in the Florennes local Cemetery, Belgium. In due course his death was officially presumed to have occured on the 15th April, 1943.

Sergeant Ronald Smith had a total of 168 hours flying time as an Air Gunner.

75(NZ) Squadron ORB’s – errors and gaps……Part 2.

Putting together a final Op History for Bob Herron’s crew this evening I have found another mistake in the 1944 ORB.

This time FORM 541 27th January 1944 Mining in the Heligoland Bight.

The records run over 2 pages of the ORB Page 21 to Page 22.

Page 22 is then repeated as Page 23, before the document returns to order

Request for information. Peter Ernest Chilman, Rear Gunner – Herron crew 1944

Peter Ernest Chilman, Rear gunner with the Herron crew, lost 28th April 1944 on the Friedrichshafen Op. The photo was taken in 1940.

Many thanks to Peter for contributing this photograph of his Uncle – Peter Ernest Chilman, Rear Gunner with Robert Herron’s crew, who were all lost on the Friedrichshafen OP of 28th April 1944. Peter is keen to learn anything about his Uncle and his crew, including the Ops they flew on and especially the final fateful Op to Friedrichshafen.

4.1.45.
Administration
P/O R.W . Herron and crew posted from No.31 Base

Before flying operationally as a crew, Bob flew 2 ops as ‘2nd DIckie’ with more experienced crews.

14.1.44. Attack Against a special Target – V1 site,  Ailly
Stirling Mk.III EF454
Flew with Tom Buckley’s crew

20.1.44. Gardening – Mining off the Frisian Islands
Stirling Mk.III EF236
Flew with Ray Watson’s crew

The Herron crew started their Operational tour with 75(NZ) Squadron on the 21st of January with an attack on a ‘Special target’ this was the euphemism given to the German V development and launching sites. On this day 111 aircraft, including 20 from Mepal bombed V1 launch sites in France.

21.1.44. Attack Against a Special Target – V1 launch sites
Stirling Mk.III EF514
F/O Robert Weir Herron RNZAF NZ422282 – Pilot
F/Sgt Matthew Roland Henderson RNZAF NZ427204 – Navigator
Sgt Walter Reginald Percival RAFVR 553063 – Air Bomber
F/O Euan Wilfred Mclachlan RNZAF NZ415266 – Wireless Operator.
Sgt John William Germing RAFVR 1803074 – Flight Engineer.
W/O Keith Alfred Smith RNZAF NZ416022 – Mid Upper Gunner.
P/O Peter Ernest Chilman RAFVR 155992 – Rear Gunner

25.1.44. Attack Against a Special Target – V1 launch sites, Pas de Calais near Cherbourg
Stirling Mk.III EF236
Same crew

28.1.44. Gardening – Mining in the Kiel Bay
Stirling Mk.III EF230
Same crew

10.2.44. Gardening – Mining off La Rochelle
Stirling Mk.III EE958
Same crew

3.3.44. Gardening – Mining off Morlaix
Stirling Mk.III BF473
Sgt. J. Edwards replaces Keith Smith as Mid Upper Gunner

Special Operations
75(NZ) Squadron was yet to be re-equipped with Lancasters and as such their operational effectiveness flying the now aged Stirling was being severely compromised. Taken off main force Ops the Squadron had to content itself with Gardening and ‘Special Operations’ Ops. Within the ORB for 1944, there is a distinct air of mystery surround what these Special Operations in fact were – to the point where there are hand written notes from the W/C at the end of March Form 540 saying the ‘particulars’ of these Special Operations had been forwarded seperately to the Air Ministry Intelligence section – These special Operations were flown to support Special Operations Executive (SOE) and Resistance Fighters – the details of these Ops , their destinations and payloads were obviously at the time desperately secret.

5.3.44. Special Operations – March Moon Period TRAINER 153 (SUCCESSFUL)
Stirling Mk.III JN-U
Sgt. G. Tedman replaces Sgt. Edwards as Mid Upper Gunner.

10.3.44. Special Operations – March Moon Period MONGREL 18 (SUCCESSFUL)
Stirling Mk.III ‘U’
Keith Smith returns as Mid Upper Gunner.

13.3. 44. Gardening – Mining off La Rochelle
Stirling Mk.III EF181 JN-?
Same crew

15.3.44. Special Operations – March Moon Period BOB 118 (SUCCESSFUL)
Stirling Mk.III ‘K’
Same crew

18.3. 44. Gardening – Mining in the Heligoland Bight
Stirling MK.III EE958 ??-V
Same crew

19.3.44. Gardening – Mining of River Adour
Stirling Mk.III EE958 ??-V
W/O C. Skripsy replaces Peter Chilman as Rear Gunner

21.3. 44. Gardening – Mining off St Malo
Stirling Mk.III EE958 ??-V
W/O Skripsy continues as Rear Gunner

Outstanding Events
Administration.
Conversation to Lancaster Aircraft. It was decided by a higher authority to convert the Squadron from Stirling to Lancaster aircraft, and our first Lancaster was received on 13^th March, 1944, since that date we a have received a further 19. All crews are being converted to Lancaster aircraft and at present 13 have passed through No.3 Lancaster Finishing School at R.A.F. Station Feltwell.

26.3.44.
Administration
Herron crew were posted to No.3 L.F.S. Feltwell for conversion to Lancaster.

1.4.44.
Administration
The Herron crew returned from Feltwell having completed their Lancaster conversion training.

27.4. 44. War Ops – Attack Against Friedrichshafen
Lancaster Mk.III ND796 AA-J
FAILED TO RETURN
Lancaster Mk III ND796  was shot down by a night-fighter just north west of the target, crashing 500 metres south east of Langenhart, about a mile north of Messkirch. There were no survivors. All seven crew were buried in a collective grave at Lagenhart. They were later re-interred at Durnbach War Cemetery.

The Air Ministry specially requested this raid because this small town was known to contain several important factories making engines and gearboxes for German tanks. The raid was planned to take place on a moonlit night, even though a similar raid on Nuremberg four weeks ago in these conditions had disastrous results. But this town was further south, at the extremity of German fighter defences and so, the risks were thought to be less. As well, several diversionary attacks were made causing confusion among German air controllers. All aircraft in this raid therefore reached the target without being intercepted. This notwithstanding, the German fighters arrived at the target as the raid was taking place, resulting in 18 of the participating 322 Lancasters being shot down – 5.6% of the force.

There was no report of Anti Aircraft fire or searchlights. It was apparent, however, that German night-fighters had arrived in numbers, as witnessed by other aircraft coming under attack. One such aircraft was ND796, the Lancaster of F/O Bob Herron and his crew.
 The remaining fifteen unit aircraft returned to base safely, landing between 03.50 – 06.20hrs.

F/O Robert Weir Herron RNZAF NZ422282. Pilot.
Died, age 23.
Buried Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany.

F/S Matthew Roland Henderson RNZAF NZ427204. Navigator.
Died, age 25.
Buried Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany.

Sgt. Walter Reginald Percival RAFVR 553063. Air Bomber.
Died, age 22.
Buried Durnbach War Cemetery Germany.

F/O Euan Wilfred McLachlan RNZAF NZ415266Wireless Operator.
Died, age 22.
Buried Durnbach War Cemetery Bad Tolz Germany.

Sgt. John William Germing RAFVR 1803074. Flight Engineer.
Died, age 22.
Buried Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany.

W/O Keith Alfred Smith RNZAF NZ416022. Mid Upper Gunner.
Died, age 23.
Buried Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany.

F/O Peter Ernest Chilman RAFVR 155992. Rear Gunner.
Died, age 25.
Buried Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany.

 

This aircraft was the first 75(NZ) Squadron Lancaster reported missing…….

Maori aircrew who served with 75(NZ) Squadron 39-45. Picture update

F/Sgt Tapua Heperi, Wireless Operator, 75 (NZ) Sqdn, Mepal. Taken on return from Essen daylight raid 11/3/45. The Clement crew had flown Lancaster I PB820, JN-V that day, landing back at Mepal at 5.14pm. Credit: Lancasters At War 3, Garbett & Goulding, Ian Allan Ltd, via Howard Keetch.

Cheers to Chris for finding this wonderful picture of Tapua ‘Tap’ Heperi, Wireless Operator with Doug St.Clair Clements crew. I’ve added the picture to Taps details  in the ‘Maori aircrew who served with 75(NZ) Squadron 39-45‘ page, which can be found in the ’75(NZ) RAF’ section of the blog, or alternatively go straight to it here.

Buxton Cemetery part 2 – Albert Leslie Mellor, killed 8th September 1943

The grave of Sgt. Albert Leslie Mellor RAFVR 943914. Flight Engineer with the Menzies crew, killed on take off 8th September 1943

When my thoughts turned to a visit to Buxton cemetery, I obviously performed a search through Kevin King’s fantastic Roll of Honour. Details on the first 2 boys initially made me assume that all those resting in the cemetery were from the crash of Wellington Z1566 in 1942 (see previous post). It took me a minute and further searching to realise that the fifth airman that rests in Buxton was actually from another incident and one that I have already posted about.

When I found Albert, away from the main grouping of CWWGC headstones, I was interested to see that a cross and what I took to be a Christmas wreath was laying on his grave. A long shot I thought, but I slid a 75nzsquadron card under the rubber band that held his flowers. Later discussions with Basil, who was born in Buxton, confirmed the fact that the surname Mellor is well known in the area – who knows, there might/ must be a relative still perhaps in the area – maybe I will hear something back……….

75 (NZ) Sqn RAF Operations Record Book (ORB)
8/9/43
Operations. 
Seventeen aircraft were detailed to attack the above targets. The carried their maximum bomb load in bombs of 1,000lb., and 500lb.. One aircraft crashed whilst taking off and two returned early. The remainder successfully dropped their bombs in the target area. Not many fires were seen but numerous huge explosions were observed. Some heavy and light predicted A.A.Fire and a few searchlights were encountered but caused no trouble. A few enemy aircraft were seen, but no combats took place. The weather was good and visibility was clear  except for slight ground haze. Navigation was excellent.

The aircraft that crashed during take-off was captained by F/O. I.R.MENZIES. Whilst taking off it swung off the runway and crashed into two houses on the far side adjoining the perimeter track. It caught fire almost simultaneously, and in the fire, various bombs exploded, causing the aircraft to be a total wreck. Three members of the crew, a W.A.A.F. Officer of R.A.F. Station MEPAL and an aircrew Sergeant, and 2 civilians were killed and other civilians were injured. The W.A.A.F. Officer and the aircrew sergeant lost their lives whilst trying to render assistance.
Page 587, 1943. Form 540/ 541 AIR27/ 646  75(NZ) Squadron RAF, Mepal. National Archives.

Stirling Mk.III BK809 JN-T
F/O. Ian Robert Menzies RNZAF NZ415002. Pilot.
Died Wednesday 8th September after crashing on take-off. Buried Cambridge City Cemetery, England.

P/O. Derek Albert Arthur Cordery RAFVR 136360. Navigator.

P/O. Norman Hathway Gale RAFVR 849986. Air Bomber.
Died Wednesday 8th September after crashing on take-off. Buried Bristol (Canford) Cemetery, England.

Sgt. Ralph Herbert Barker RNZAF NZ417189. Wireless Operator.

Sgt. Albert Leslie Mellor RAFVR 943914. Flight Engineer.
Seriously injured Wednesday 8th September after crashing on take-off. Died Wednesday 8th September Buried Buxton Cemetery, England.

Sgt. Bullivant G RAFVR 1395379. Mid Upper Gunner.

Sgt. Stewart Donald Muir RNZAF NZ416967. Rear Gunner.
Died 16th June 1944 with 7(PFF) Squadron.

The Flight Sergeant and W.A.A.F Officer that were killed when attempting to offer assistance were;

F/Sgt Peter Gerald Dobson MiD RNZAF NZ439022. Navigator. 16th Mar to 8th Sep 1943. Died Wednesday 8th September 1943, age 28. A 75 Sqn Stirling, (BK809), fully laden with fuel and bombs for an attack on a long-range gun battery nr Boulogne, France, swung on take-off and crashed between two houses off the end of the runway. F/Sgt Dobson was killed by exploding bombs as he went to the assistance of the aircrew crew and the occupants of the houses. Buried Cambridge City Cemetery, England.
Mention in Despatches (14 Jan 1944):
“For bravery in action and meritorious fulfilment of duty”.

Section Officer Joan Majorie Easton WAAF/RAF 2986. 24th July 1943 to 8th Sep 1943. Died Wednesday 8th September 1943, age 26, when a 75 Sqn Stirling (BK809) fully laden with bombs and fuel, swung on take-off for an attack on a long-range gun battery nr Boulogne and crashed between two houses off the end of the runway. S/O Easton was killed when the bomb load exploded as she went to the assistance of the aircraft crew and the occupants of the houses. Buried Greenwich (Charlton and Kidbrook) Cemetery. London, England.

Additionally, another member of the Squadron came to the aid of the crash victims. Unlike Peter and Joan, Terence survived the incident and was awarded the British Empire Medal for his bravery that night.

Cpl Terence Henry King BEM RAF 610334. ELECT 1, Electrical Sect. Citation BEM (24 Dec 1943) “In September 1943, an aircraft which was taking off with a load of bombs crashed into two houses on the edge of an airfield and burst into flames. Corporal King hurried to the scene and, although fully aware that high explosive bombs were likely to explode at any moment, he went to the cottages a few yards from the burning aircraft to warn the occupants of their imminent danger and render assistance. An injured man was found and while Corporal King, with the help of a civilian, was taking him to safety a bomb exploded. The bravery shown by Corporal King was instrumental in saving a life and many more lives might have been lost had it not been for his prompt action in helping to warn occupants of the nearby houses. “

Buxton Cemetery – The Mackay crew, training flight accident 22nd May 1942

The graves in Buxton Cemetery, Derbyshire of 4 of the Mackay crew, killed in the early morning of 22nd May 1942. In clockwise order: P/O Andrew Mackay – Pilot, Sgt. Wilfred Smeaton – 2nd Pilot, Sgt James Bevan – Wireless Operator and Sgt John Bode – Navigator

The first graves of 75(NZ) Squadron airmen I found was by utter chance when visiting Scartho cemetery in Grimsby and coming across the graves of Alex Mee and David Nola. Since then, I have tried to look at the Roll of Honour to get an idea of graves, relative to wherever I might be travelling and when possible visit and lay some flowers. Last summer I was able to visit Leslie Wright and a couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to stop by at Buxton Cemetery in the Peak District to visit 4 airmen who were killed on a training flight in May 1942.

On the night of May 21^st 1942 Wellington Mk.III Z1566 took off from Feltwell on a night training flight. Their Pilot, Andrew Mackay had up to this point completed a total of 3 Ops with other crews as 2^nd Pilot; and 2 other Night Flying Training (N.F.T’s)

02.5.42 Gardening – St Nazair
Wellington Mk.III X3714
S/L Denton, P/O McKay, F/O Hodson, Sgt Green, Sgt Chambers, Sgt Chambers

13.5.42. N.F.T.
Wellington Mk.III
P/O A.D. Mackay as Pilot

15.5.42 Gardening – Kiel Bay
Wellington Mk.III X3751
P/O Jarman, F/O McKay, Sgt Taylor, Sgt Fernie, Sgt Davey, P/O Chunn

17.5.44. N.F.T
Wellington Mk.III X3408
P/O A.D. Mackay as Pilot

19.5.42 Attacks Against Mannheim and St. Nazaire
Wellington Mk.III X3714
S/L Denton, P/O McKay, F/O Hodson, Sgt Green, Sgt Chambers, F/S McQueen.

The boys in the aircraft were relatively new to the Squadron and had not yet flown operationally as a crew. That night the Squadron were also flying, sending seven Wellingtons to lay sea mines (Gardening) at La Pallice and L’Orient. (t/o 23.00), however the raid was not a successful one, owing to bad weather and poor visibility and most of the aircraft returned with their mines.

Andrew’s name appears to be misspelled in the Form 540 for May, consistently appearing as McKAY, rather than as MACKAY, though this would appear to not be the only error in the ORB for this month. The Form 540 also identifies that the Pilot of Z1566 was a ‘P/O Smith’, clearly wrong, though the location of the crash and name of the sole survivor, Sidney Chappell is recorded correctly. The records incorrectly state that Andrew was flying Fight Co-Op in Wellington Mk.III X3714 (one assumes this was in the event actually P/O Smith).

The crew on board were Wellington Mk III, Z1566 were as follows:
P/O Andrew Mackay, RNZAF – Pilot
Sgt. Wilfred Smeaton, RNZAF – 2^nd Pilot
Sgt John Bode, RAFVR – Navigator
Sgt James Bevan, RNZAF – Wireless Operator
Sgt Cyril Hayton, RAFVR – Front Gunner
Sgt Sidney Chappell, RNZAF – Rear Gunner

After becoming airborne and flying for some time on the exercise, the weather deteriorated. Andrew elected to remain above the cloud layer for some time before he was able to descend through a gap in the cloud in the early morning hours so that the navigator could visually establish their position. At 03.40 hrs, the aircraft apparently flew into a hillside at Grindon Farm, six miles from Leek, Staffordshire.

The ferocity of the impact essentially destroyed the front of the aircraft, spreading wreckage over a very large area. Perhaps possessing, literally death defying luck, the only survivor was the rear gunner Sid Chappell who was injured.

While John Bode was buried with the New Zealand airmen in Buxton, Cyril Hayton was returned to his home town and is buried in Byker and Heaton Cemetery , Newcastle-on-Tyne.

The burial ceremony in Buxton was conducted by staff of 38 Maintenance Unit, who had also attended the site of the crash on the 28th May 1942.

P/O Andrew Donald Mackay RNZAF 411919
Died age 22, 22nd May 1942
Grave 4178, Buxton Cemetery, Derbyshire, England.

Sgt. John William Bode RAFVR 1185743
Died age 22, 22nd May 1942
Grave 4181,Buxton Cemetery, Derbyshire, England.

Sgt. James Wilfred Beaven RNZAF 403566      
Died age 31, 22nd May 1942
Grave 4180, Buxton Cemetery, Derbyshire, England.

Sgt. Wilfred Herbert Smeaton RNZAF 405331
Died age 28, 23rd May 1942
Grave 4179, Buxton Cemetery, Derbyshire, England.

Sgt. Cyril Hayton RAFVR 1113610
Died age 22, 22nd May 1942
Sec. A.N. Grave 152. Newcastle Upon Tyne (Byker Heaton) Cemetery, England.

Bomber Command Clasp presentation to veterans

Sir Andrew Pulford KCB CBE ADC, Chief of the Air Staff visited Northern Ireland and presented the Bomber Command Clasp to, on the left, Ronnie Allen, son of Norman Allen and to the right, to John McFarland’s wife Elizabeth.

Many thanks to David for passing on these lovely photographs of family members of Bomber Command veterans receiving the Bomber Command Clasp.

Sir Andrew Pulford KCB CBE ADC, Chief of the Air Staff visited Northern Ireland on St Patrick’s Day and presented Bomber Command Clasps at a ceremony at Hillsborough Castle.   Unfortunately 75 (NZ) Squadron veteran John McFarland was unable to attend as he was in hospital, and the clasp was presented to his wife Elizabeth.   Ronnie Allen, son of the late Norman Allen another 75 (NZ) Squadron veteran received his late father’s clasp.

Also in attendance to receive the clasp in person was Alfie Martin, a great friend of John McFarland. Alfie, who can be seen wearing his D.F.C. along with his other medals was an Air Bomber with 102 (Ceylon) Squadron RAF. Alfie and his crew were one of 372 aircraft that took off on the 16th April 1943 to bomb the Skoda armaments factory at Pilsen in Czechoslovakia.

 

Alfie Martin receiving his Bomber Command Clasp from Sir Andrew Pulford KCB CBE ADC, Chief of the Air Staff.

After an attack by German night fighters, Alfie’s Halifax bomber suffered an engine fire and the Skipper ordered the boys out. Alfie’s story after this incident was recorded in 2010 by the BBC. He made the interview to pay tribute to the members of the French Resistance who helped him in escaping from France. Three of the Frenchmen who were of direct assistance to him did not survive the war. Alfie escaped as did 3 of his crew, one was captured and sadly 2 were killed.

Listens to Alfie’s astonishing and very moving story here.

 

 

 

Lancasters ‘doing the business’……..

75 (NZ) Sqdn Lancaster dropping bombs, daylight op’. New Zealand Bomber Command Assn. archive / Clive Estcourt

More pictures from Chris……….!

Chris notes that while not all the lancasters in these pictures can be specifically identified as being from the squadron, the provenance of original ownerships suggests most might be, nevertheless, they are fantastic images showing lancasters, doing what they were built for.

Lancaster landing/taking off. New Zealand Bomber Command Assn. archive / Arnel Meyer

Gaggle of Lancasters on a daylight op’ New Zealand Bomber Command Assn. archive

75 (NZ) sq C flight Lancaster JN-O flying over Europe, early 1945. The white streak at the bottom of the photo is the River Rhine. Published in “Lancaster At War 3”, by Garbett & Goulding, , Ian Allan Ltd, and also in “Dying For Democracy”, by F/L G A Russell DFC, self-published. Credit: New Zealand Bomber Command Assn. archive / Believed to be from Stuart Hector Richmond, NZ425433, A/B Robertson crew.

Once again, if anyone has more information about any of these photos, we would love to hear from you – and thanks again to Peter Wheeler and the NZBCA for permission to share photos from their archives.

Wellingtons in the snow 1941

Vickers Wellington R1162, AA-Y, 75 (NZ) Squadron. New Zealand Bomber Command Assn. archive / Ron Mayhill.

Many thanks to Chris as always for passing on a couple more pictures from his ‘NZBCA archive treasure trove’! This time, its 2 images from an original collection of Ron Mayhill.

Two more photos from the New Zealand Bomber Command Assn. archive, possibly taken the same day. The photos would have been taken at Feltwell, and probably in January or February 1941.

Both show ground crew working on the aircraft, with engine cowlings removed and sitting on the ground.  After a snowstorm, the whole Squadron might be called out on shovels to help clear runways.

The picture at the top of the post shows R1162, which was one of the older, less-powerful 1C models, arriving on Squadron probably November or December 1940. She flew 24 op’s (Wayne Mellor) with the Lockwood, Pownall, Mathieson, Fletcher, Fotheringham and Curry crews, the last flown on 17/18 May. She was transferred to No. 27 O.T.U., Lichfield, on 16 August 1941. She failed to return from the third One Thousand Bomber raid on Bremen, June 25/26, 1942, one of 23 OTU aircraft and crews lost that night.

Vickers Wellingtons of 75 (NZ) Squadron undergoing servicing in the snow. New Zealand Bomber Command Assn. archive / Ron Mayhill.

This second image clearly shows Wellingtons AA-C (left) and AA-V (right) in the foreground, with 2 other, unidentifiable Wellingtons in the snowy murk of the background. There is also what appears to be a fifth Wellington’s tail, just poking out from the tailplane of AA-C.

Once again, thanks to Peter Wheeler and the New Zealand Bomber Command Assn. archives.

75(NZ) Squadron ORB’s – errors and gaps……

Despite my enforced absence recently regarding posts, I have been trying for 20 minutes over lunch  (everyish day) to continue to add the Form 541 information into an Excel database – currently 3,300 rows, with about 20 columns of information for each row (you do the math) – this so far covers from the beginning of 1943 through to August 1944. In addition to this, Form 540 continues to be attended to by my band of helpers – continuing thanks guys……

I discovered after repeated scrolling up and down yesterday that there is an error regarding page ordering in the 1944 ORB. The second page for the Cagny Op (18th July) is actually not there and in fact reappears after the first page of the Homberg Op (20th July).

Form 541 1944 (page numbers based on pdf numbering of document from National archives)
Page 180 is first page of Cagny Op – Page 181 appears to conclude this Op list.

Page 184 begins the  Homberg Op, Page 185 continues it, but the  next page (186) is the missing second page of Cagny

Additionally, I was informed by Brian a couple of weeks ago that the second page of Form 540, January 1945 is missing – again based on the numbering of the complete pdf document, page 2 (January 1st to 7th) is then followed by a skip to the 15th January.

I am uncertain whether this represents just an initial archiving activity for the complete set (which I purchased in its entirity on a CD), or whether this is a fundamental absence which now exists in the files which are available as individual monthly downloads from the National archive.

My concern is that this page might be lost – if anybody has a version of this document with this missing page – I would be very grateful for a copy – without it, January will not be complete.

thanks in advance…….