Archive Report: Allied Forces

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16/17.08.1944 433 (Porcupine) Squadron RCAF Halifax III MZ808 BM:P Fg Off. Morgan

Operation: Gardening - Kiel Bay

Date: 16th/17th August 1944 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit: 433 (Porcupine) Squadron, RCAF

Type: Halifax III



Serial: MZ808 



Code: BM:P


Base: RAF Skipton-on-Swale

Location: Langøre island of Fyn

Pilot: Flt Lt. John Archibald Wynn Morgan J25000 RCAF Age 22. Killed. (1)

Flt Eng: Sgt. Robert Faulkner Young 753314 RAFVR Age 32. Killed

Nav: Fg Off. George Henry Gill J26553 RCAF Age? PoW No: 5284 *

Bomb Aimer: Fg Off. Jacques Oliver Clerc J28197 RCAF Age 27. Killed (2)

WOp/Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. Courtney Raymond Stewart R90507 RCAF Age 25. Killed

Air Gnr (Mid App): Flt Sgt. John Winning Moffat R206348 RCAF Age 21. Killed

Air Gnr (Rear): Fg Off. Philippe Edward Marchildon J28723 RCAF Age? PoW No: 7741 **

* Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang, today situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

** Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland. (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser, Bavaria)

Above left to right: Flt Lt. Morgan, Fg Off. Clerc, Flt Sgt. Moffat (from their Service Files)

REASON FOR LOSS

Took off at 21:27 hrs from RAF Skipton-on-Swale to lay mines in Kiel Bay (Quinces/Radishes Region).

When outbound flying at 4400 metres height, the Halifax was attacked by a night fighter piloted by Oblt. Herbert Koch and his Bordfunker, Ofw. Seufert aboard Ju88 G-1 D5+EH from 1./NJG3, his 8th Abschuss and the first of two this night. The crew managed to bail out of the stricken Halifax before it caught fire and exploded in the air and crashing at Langøre between the island of Fyn and Helnæs at 23:52 hrs.

Oblt. Herbert Koch survived the war as an ace with 17 confirmed victories. Lived in Waldbröl joining the post-war Luftwaffe in the 1950’s flying transport aircraft.

Crew of MZ808 (courtesy of RCAF 6 Group) Back row in no certain order: Sgt R. Young, Flt Sgt. Stewart , Flt Sgt. Moffat and 4th from left Fg Off. Marchildon. Front Row L to R: Fg Off. Clerc, Flt Lt. Morgan, Fg Off. Gill . Right: Monument at crash site (courtesy of Airwar over Denmark, Søren Flensted)

Around 01:00 hrs people living in the area of Sønderby Klint heard shouts for help from the sea and a motorboat was launched to try to rescue the crew. It found Fg Off. George H. Gill and Fg Off. Philippe R. Marchildon, 1 km off the farm “Strandlyst” and took them to the hospital in Assens.

In the morning two bodies was found washed ashore near Saltofte and two were found on the beach a little south of “Strandlyst” farm. They were all found to be wearing an inflated Mae West and three of them had managed to release their parachute after landing in the sea. The four bodies were during the afternoon taken to Sønderby cemetery and buried in a common grave without coffins by the Wehrmacht.

(1) Morgan Island in Pikwitonei Lake was renamed after Fg Off. John Archibald Wynn Morgan in 1995.

(2) Cleric Lake in Ontario was renamed after Fg Off. Jacques Oliver Clerc

Burial Details:

Above: Sønderby (Assens) Churchyard (credit: Commonwealth Car Graves Commission)

Above: Memorial Plaque

Above: Dedication ceremony - date unknown

Flt Lt. John Archibald Wynn Morgan. Sønderby (Assens) Churchyard. Coll. grave 174. Born on the 7th June 1921 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Son of Archibald John Daniel and Florence (née Gardner) Morgan of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Promoted to acting Flt Lt. with effect 10th August 1944.

Sgt. Robert Faulkner Young. Sønderby (Assens) Churchyard. Coll. grave 174. Son of John Faulkner Young, and of Edith Mary Young, of Colchester, Essex, England.

F/O. Jacques Oliver Clerc. Sønderby (Assens) Churchyard. Coll. grave 174. Born on the 15th February 1917 in Geneva, Switzerland. Son of Charles and Andree (née Berthoud) Clerc from Zurich, Switzerland. Both his parents predeceased him..

Professor at University of Saskatchewan.

Plt Off. Courtney Raymond Stewart. Sønderby (Assens) Churchyard. Coll. grave 174. Born on the 20th August 1917 in North Bay, Ontario. Son of Samual George and Alice Maria (née James) Stewart. Husband of Cpl. Enda Stewart 61 RCAF Base, Topcliffe, York, England.

Commissioned and promoted to Plt Off. (J88141) with effect 21st July 1944

Flt Sgt. John Winning Moffat. Sønderby (Assens) Churchyard. Coll. grave 174. Born on the 24th March 1918 in Hamilton, Scotland. Son of John Winning and Elizabeth Kergan (née Stewart) Moffat of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His father predeceased him in Scotland in October 1919.

Researched by Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the family of the crew. Thanks to John Jones for the Service Nos. for Fg Off. Gill and Fg Off. Marchildon (Aug 2021). Extensive update by Aircrew Remembered (Aug 2021). With thanks to sources already quoted and to those shown below.

A word from the Editor: your contribution is important. We welcome your comments and information. Thanks in advance.

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