Mission: Düsseldorf
Date: 16/17th August 1941 (Saturday/Sunday)
Unit: No. 44 Squadron (motto: Fulmina regis iusta - 'The King's thunderbolts are righteous')
Type: Hampden I
Serial: AE239
Code: KM-?
Base: RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire.
Location: North sea - no exact location
Pilot: Sgt. John Gordon Armstrong 1167158 RAF Age 20. Missing - believed killed
Obs: Sgt. Charles Richard Morley R/69579 RCAF Age 27. Missing - believed killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. John Flint 945734 RAFVR Age 25. Missing - believed killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Sydney Cyril Edwards 909506 RAFVR Age 31. Killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
Taking off at 23:15 hrs from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire to attack the railway yards in Düsseldorf. No details as to success of this operation but many fires were reported.
Aircraft carried 1 x 1,000 lb bomb and 1 x 500 lb bomb. Also carried EH.510 Nickel (newspaper propaganda - see bottom of page) to be dropped.
52 Hampdens along with 6 Manchesters took part with the loss of 5 aircraft - eight aircrew were killed with 18 made Prisoner of War.
No nightfighter claims have been found of this loss which happened over the North Sea.
Photo sent in by David Wall - are you able to identify any or where it was taken?
The crew had a lucky earlier escape when their Hampden crash landed during an operation to Koln on the 30/31st July 1941 at 00.15 hrs Carlton-le-Morland, south south west of Lincoln (see map below )
Burial details:
Sgt. John Gordon Armstrong. Runnymede War Memorial. Panel 38. Son of Philip Gordon Armstrong and Doris Adelaide Armstrong, of Clifton, Bristol, England.
Sgt. Charles Richard Morley. Runnymede War Memorial. Panel 61. Son of Frank William and Florence May Morley of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sgt. John Flint. Runnymede War Memorial. Panel 43. Son of William Andrew and Margaret Jane Flint, of Blyth, Northumberland, England.
Sgt. Sydney Cyril Edwards. Kiel War Cemetery. Grave 4.F.20. Son of Clara Edwards, of Camberwell, London, England
Researched for David Wall nephew of Sgt. John Flint and dedicated to all relatives of this crew. With thanks for additional information to Ken Ogilvie, the Psychological Warfare website. Other sources as shown.
Right: EH.510 Newspaper propaganda.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember
them. - Laurence
Binyon
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Last Modified: 09 March 2021, 18:06