Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.

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20.11.1943 No. 422 Squadron Short Sunderland W6031 G F/O. Ulrichsen

Operation: Convoy Patrol

Date: 20th November 1943 (Saturday)

Unit: No. 422 Squadron

Type: Short Sunderland III

Serial: W6031

Code: DG-G

Base: RAF St. Angelo, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Location: Atlantic Ocean, West of Portugal

1st Pilot: F/O. Jan David Butler Ulrichsen J/15656 RCAF Age 30. Missing (1)

2nd Pilot: F/O. Wilfred Sydney Johnson J/13060 RCAF Age 28. Missing (2)

3rd Pilot: F/O. Charles Gordon Gorrie J/23996 RCAF Age 19. Missing (3)

Nav: F/O. Robert Harry Strauss J/9328 RCAF Age 31. Missing (4)

Gun/Officer: Fl/Sgt. Robert Aird Park 1349760 RAFVR Age 31. Missing

1st W/Op/Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Norman Barrett R/144281. RCAF Age 22. Missing (5)

2nd W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Walter McKay 1313578 RAFVR Age ? Missing

W/Op/M/Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Bruce Goulden Burton 571183 RAF Age 22. Missing

Fl/Eng: Sgt. Norman Percival Cook. 1296208. RAFVR Age 21. Missing (6)

Fl/E/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Ronald Montague Fisher 1625511 RAFVR Age 19. Missing (7)

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Noel Neil Lewis 1437141 RAFVR Age 21. Missing (1)

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(7) After 70 years Sgt. Ronald Montague Fisher's war medals have been found and we would like to pass these on to his relatives. We would ask relatives to make contact

Update 04.05.2017 relative made contact - further information hopefully follows!

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REASON FOR LOSS:

Sunderland W6031 took off from RAF St. Angelo at 11.45hrs for a Convoy Patrol. At approx. 11:47hrs a U-Boat sighting report was received at Gibraltar. At 19:10hrs a SoS message was intercepted at Malta, believed to be from Sunderland W6031.

Nothing was heard from this aircraft after this. The aircraft was attacked by U-648 but fought off this attack and travelled some 150 miles towards Gibraltar, where it had been due to land when a distress call was sent saying it was going to ditch. Nothing further was heard from the aircraft. An extensive search could find no sight of the aircraft or crew and no further information was received

Sgt. Ronald Montague Fisher's war medals (courtesy of David Johnson) A Short Sunderland III

F/O. C. G. Gorrie (courtesy of Gordon Goldsborough) F/O. R. H. Strauss (courtesy of Doug Gammon)

Air Casualties published in the Globe & Mail 4th January 1944 (courtesy of Democracy at War) Details about Charles Gorrie (courtesy of Yvonne Oakes niece of Sgt. Lewis)
Burial details:

F/O. Jan David Butler Ulrichsen. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 175. Son of Jan Ulrichsen and Caroline Theresa Frances Ulrichsen. (1) Jan was born on the 27th June 1913 in York, Ontario, Canada.

F/O. Wilfred Sydney Johnson. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 174. Son of Sydney Munnings Johnson and Marie Adelaide Johnson. Husband of Sarah Ruth Johnson. (2) Wilfred was born on the 12th August 1915.

F/O. Charles Gordon Gorrie. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 173. Son of Charles C. and Evelyn Gorrie of Wawanesa, Manitoba, Canada. (3) Charles was born on the 20th January 1924 in Wawanesa and is remembered on the Wawanesa War Memorial.

F/O. Robert Harry Strauss. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 175. Son of Reuben J. and Sarah Nagal Strauss. Husband of Mildred Strauss of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. (4) Robert was born on the 6th February 1912 and is remembered on a family headstone in Greenhill Cemetery, Essex County, Ontario, Canada.

Fl/Sgt. Robert Aird Park. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 138. Son of John A. and Jessie A. Park. Husband of Hannah Park of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland.

Fl/Sgt. Norman Barrett. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 181. Son of Albert and Ethel Barrett of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (5) Norman was born on the 9th December 1921 in Ontario, Canada.

Sgt. Walter McKay. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 158. Next of kin details currently unavailable, can you assist?

Fl/Sgt. Bruce Goulden Burton. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 135. Son of Thomas and Doris Muriel Burton. Husband of Ethel Margherite Burton of East Allington, Devon, England.

Left: Sgt. Norman Percival Cook (courtesy Alan Sable)

Sgt. Norman Percival Cook. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 146. Son of Frederick Percival Cook and Kate Cook of Burnham, Buckinghamshire. (6) At the time of his death Norman's address was Roslyn Byways, Hitcham, Buckinghamshire, England. Prior to joining the RAF he had served with the Burnham Fire Brigade where his photo hung until it closed in 1996.

Sgt. Ronald Montague Fisher. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 149. Son of Reginald Walter and Grace Fisher of Torrisholme, Lancashire. The family lived at 23 Kayswell Road, Torrisholme, Morecombe, Lancashire, England. (7) Ronald is remembered on the Morecombe War Memorial

Sgt. Noel Neil Lewis. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 156. Son of Alfred Alexander Lewis and Gwendoline Elizabeth Lewis. Next of kin details currently unavailable, can you assist? (8) Sgt. Lewis has one sister who is still with us aged 96 and a niece both living in the USA with many relative living in Wales

Researched by: Kate Tame for Aircrew Remembered and for all the relatives and friends of the crew

Acknowledgements: With special thanks to Nick Mattock who contacted us in October 2013 hoping to trace relatives of Sgt. Fisher. Also to David Johnson for contacting BBC Radio Lancashire appealing for relatives. Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Gordon Goldsborough - Manitoba Historical Society, Doug Gammon - Canada Gen Web Cemetery Project, David Johnson, Yvonne Oakes neice of Sgt. Lewis, Alan Sable who sent photo and information on Sgt. Norman Cook. U.K. National Archives.

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