Operation: Wesseling, (Synthetic Oil Plant) Germany.

Date: 21st/22nd June 1944 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit: 207 Squadron

Type: Lancaster I

Serial: ME827

Code: EM:I

Base: RAF Spilsby, Lincolnshire

Location: Moesstraatsebaan, Bergen op Zoom

Pilot: Flt Lt. Frederick Wooten Gallagher DSO 157083 RAFVR Age 32. Killed

Flt Eng: Sgt. Maxwell Benjamin Millward 1603782 RAFVR Age 33. Killed

Nav: WO. Alfred Young 54932 RAFVR PoW No: 378 Camp: Stalag Luft 7 Bankau-Kreuzburg (Klucsbork, Poland) (1)

2nd Nav: Sgt. Raymond William Lloyd 1399625 RAFVR Age 22. Killed

Bomb Aimer: Flt Sgt. Ronald Parson Scott 1553209 RAFVR Age 22. Killed

WOp/Air Gnr: Fg Off. Peter William Ball 169125 RAFVR Age 22. Killed

Air Gnr: Sgt. Kenneth Waddington 1622511 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

Air Gnr: WO2. Murray Sherman R144206 RCAF Age 20. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from Spilsby, Lincolnshire at 23:32 hrs as part of a 133 Lancaster and a 6 Mosquito force to attack the synthetic oil plant at Wesseling. 37 Lancasters were lost this night and only slight damage was caused to the oil refinery with 20 people killed on the ground.

ME827 was claimed by Hptm Adolf Breves from Stab IV./NJG1 - NW-W-SW of Roosendal (KJ-LJ): at 1,800m at 02:14. Also claimed by Flak of 1-4/gem Flak Abt 295 (“Lancaster Bergen 02:18”) or 83 Squadron Lancaster ND442 (Cat B damaged)

Note: Outward bound attacked and damaged by a fighter in the vicinity of estuary of the Maas. Over target Wesseling at 01:30 hit by heavy flak , further hits sustained North of Aachen. Encountered Bf110 North of Antwerpen at 02:15, Nav and WOp wounded, power plant wrecked, aircraft considerably damaged, landed on wheel RAF Woodbridge at 03:32 but undercarriage collapsed. Victory confirmed for Hptm Breves on 6th September 1944. (Nachtjagd Combat Archives 1944 Part 3 - Theo Boiten)

(1) WO Young was commissioned and promoted to Fg Off (563811) whilst a PoW.

Burial Details:

Flt Lt.Frederick Wooten Gallagher DSO. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery. Collective grave 6. E. 2-7. Born in 1912. nscription reads: "SOME TIME WE SHALL UNDERSTAND SOME DAY WE WILL MEET AGAIN". Son of Frederick Daniel and Alice Louise Gallagher; husband of Edna May Gallagher, of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England.

Plt Off. Maxwell Benjamin Millward. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery Collective grave 6. E. 2-7. Born in 1911. Inscription reads: "THY WILL BE DONE, O LORD". Son of Benjamin and Lilian Millward, husband of Lydia Joyce Millward, of Leatherhead, Surrey, England.

Posthumously promoted to Plt Off with a service No. of 178237.

Sgt. Raymond William Lloyd. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery Collective grave 6. E. 2-7. Born 1922. Inscription Reads: "ANXIOUS TO PLEASE UNWILLING TO OFFEND A LOVING SON A FAITHFUL FRIEND". Son of William and Lizzie Harriott Lloyd, of Edmonton, Middlesex, England.

Flt Sgt. Ronald Parson Scott. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery Collective grave 6. E. 2-7. Born in 1922. Inscription reads: "ALWAYS REMEMBERED BY THOSE WHO LOVED HIM." Son of Alexander Main and Ada Julia, of North Shields, Northumberland, England, husband of Marjorie of North Shields, England.

Fg Off. Peter William Ball. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery Collective grave 6. E. 2-7. Born in 1922. Inscription reads: "WE'LL MEET AGAIN. MUM AND DAD." Son of William George and Mabel Alice Ball, of Goodmayes, Essex, England.

Sgt. Kenneth Waddington. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery Collective grave 6. E. 2-7. Born 1924. Inscription reads: "AMIDST SMILES & TEARS AND PASSING YEARS WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER. SLEEP IN PEACE." Son of Wilfred and Hilda Waddington, of Intake, Sheffield, England.

WO2. Murray Sherman. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery Grave 6. E. 1. Born 30th October 1922 in Toronto, Ontario. Inscription read: "BELOVED SON OF EDNA AND DAVE." Son of David. and Edna Annie (née Tapley) Sherman, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

With further information supplied by Mike Harrison. Thanks to John Jones for the night-fighter claim information (Apr 2021). Other updates by Aircraft Remembered (Apr 2021). With thanks to other sources as quoted below.