Operation: Wuppertal, Germany
Date: 29/30th May 1943 (Saturday/Sunday)
Unit: No. 35 Squadron
Type: Halifax II
Serial: DT804
Code: TL-C
Base: RAF Graveley, Huntingdonshire
Location: Duras, Limburg, Belgium
Pilot: F/O. Ronald Hoos, 49586. RAFVR Age 25. Killed
Fl/Eng: Sgt. Ernest Bell. 548837. RAF Age 25. Killed
Nav: Sgt. John Gerard Kennedy. 1083975. RAFVR Age 22. Killed
Nav/Air/Bmr: Sgt. Ronald William Hodge. 1097285. RAFVR Age 20. Killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. J. Davidson. PoW. No. 112. Camp Stalag Luft VI - Heydekrug
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Alexander Tannock. 1361367. RAFVR Age 20. Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Alexander Munro Taylor. 1561460. RAFVR Age 22. Killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
Halifax DT804 took off from RAF Graveley at 22.20hrs to attack the town of Wuppertal. The aircraft was shot down by a night-fighter Lt. Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, II. /NJG1 and crashed at 01.43hrs coming down at Duras, Limburg.
This aircraft was one of 718 to take part in this very successful attack with very accurate bombing causing much damage and large fires.Four aircraft from 35 Squadron were lost that evening with the loss of 15 lives and 14 taken as POW. Twenty nine other aircraft were also lost on this operation
F/O. Hoos, Sgt. Bell, Sgt. Kennedy, Sgt. Hodge, Sgt. Tannock and Sgt. Taylor (pictures courtesy of Vicky Fifield)
Sgt. Taylor is remembered on the Lossiemouth War Memorial (picture courtesy of Kate Tame)
Burial details:
The crew were first buried at the airfield off St-Trond - homebase of II./NJG 1 on the 1st June 1943 and then in 1945 were reinterred in Heverlee War Cemetery
F/O. Ronald Hoos. Heverlee War Cemetery, Belgium. Grave Ref. 4. C. 5. Son of George and Jean Brodie Hoos of Liverpool. Husband of Alice Mary Hoos of Waterloo, Liverpool. At the time of his death Ronald's address was 17 Balmoral Avenue, Crosby, Liverpool, England.
Sgt. Ernest Bell. Heverlee War Cemetery, Belgium. Grave Ref. 4. C. 6. Son of Arthur and Nancy Bell of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Stepson of Alice Bell of Cliftonville, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Sgt. John Gerard Kennedy. Heverlee War Cemetery, Belgium. Grave Ref. Joint grave 4 C. 9-10. Sgt. John Gerard Kennedy. Heverlee War Cemetery, Belgium. Grave Ref. Joint grave 4 C. 9-10. Son of John and Mary Kennedy (née McEvoy) from Southern Ireland, later of Ardwick, Manchester, England. The eldest of 4 children: Margaret, Patrick and Joseph.
Sgt. Ronald William Hodge. Heverlee War Cemetery, Belgium. Grave Ref. Joint grave 4 C. 9-10. Son of Henry and Ellen Hodge of Moreton, Cheshire, England.
Sgt. Alexander Tannock. Heverlee War Cemetery, Belgium. Grave Ref. 4. C. 8. Son of James McCormack Tannock and Mary Duncan Tannock of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland.
Sgt. Alexander Munro Taylor. Heverlee War Cemetery, Belgium. Grave Ref. 4. C. 7. Son of James Alexander Taylor and Mary Ogilivie Taylor of Lossiemouth, Morayshire. His brother John also died on service. Alexander is remembered on the Lossiemouth War Memorial
Researcher Kate Tame (Senior Research Editor - Aircrew Remembered) dedicated to all the relatives and friends of the crew. With special thanks to Vicky Fifield, Elizabeth Hine (née Kennedy) relative of Sgt. John Kennedy who contacted Aircrew Remembered in October 2015. With thanks to Alain Rosseels for initial burial information - June 2016.
KT/KTY 22.10.2015 - Details entered for Sgt Kennedy (courtesy Liz Hine)
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them. - Laurence
Binyon
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