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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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12 Squadron crest
25/26.02.1942 No. 12 Squadron Wellington II W5440 P/O. Bairstowe

Operation: Kiel

Date: 25/26th February 1942 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit: No. 12 Squadron

Type: Wellington II

Serial: W5440

Code: PH-?

Base: RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire.

Location: Eckernförde Bucht off Surendorf, 18 km North-North-West of Kiel

Pilot: P/O. Edward Akeroyd Bairstowe 64907 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

Pilot 2: Sgt. George Edward Fox 1204720 RAFVR Age 30. Killed

Obs: P/O. Eric Tunnington 102614 RAFVR Age 31. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Rupert Vivian Pereira Ennor 1199110 RAFVR Age 21. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Frederick John Wakefield 1180917 RAFVR Age 25. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. George Selwyn Long-Innes AUS/402293 RAAF Age 34. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off just before midnight to attack the floating docks at Kiel. 61 Aircraft (43 Wellingtons, 12 Manchesters and 6 Stirlings) took part in what the records from Kiel describe as a"revenge attack" by the RAF. After the Allied failure to prevent the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen leaving the port of Brest.

The raid resulted in about 130 people killed on the accommodation ship Monte Sarmiento after it was hit and a further 16 people killed in the town.

The allies lost 3 Wellingtons on this raid with 2 other Wellingtons and a Stirling crashing on return to England. No claims from the Luftwaffe night fighters for these and it is though that they were all brought down by flak. Wellington W5440 has reported as shot down over the target area.

Further research reveals that it was brought down over Eckernförde Bucht off Surendorf, 18 km North-North-West of Kiel.

Burial details:

P/O. Edward Akeroyd Bairstowe. Kiel War Cemetery Collective grave 1F. 6-8. Son of Harold and Rebecca Bairstow, of Bridlington, Yorkshire, England.

Sgt. George Edward Fox. Kiel War Cemetery Grave 1D.12. Son of Edward and Harriet Fox, husband of Alice Fox, of West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England.

P/O. Eric Tunnington. Kiel War Cemetery Collective grave 1F. 6-8. Son of Arthur and Margaret Helen Tunnington, of Liverpool, husband of Mary Millicent Tunnington, of Liverpool, England. Bank official, amateur international football player.

Sgt. Rupert Vivian Pereira Ennor. Kiel War Cemetery Collective grave 1F. 6-8. Son of Wilfred Charles and Mercedes de Gloria Pereira Ennor.

Sgt. Frederick John Wakefield. Kiel War Cemetery Collective grave 1F. 6-8. Son of Mr and Mrs. H. C. Wakefield, of Bristol, England.

Sgt. George Selwyn Long-Innes. Kiel War Cemetery Grave 1D.11. Son of the Hon. Mr. Justice Reginald Heath Long-Innes and Mary Louise Long-Innes, of Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia.

Researched for Glen Fox and relatives of the crew. With thanks to the following sources.

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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and Captain François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Andrew Mielnik: Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Polish graves: https://niebieskaeskadra.pl/, PoW Museum Żagań, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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