Mission: Brunsbuttel, Germany

Date: 4th September 1939 (Monday)

Unit: No. 9 Squadron

Type: Wellington I

Serial: L4268

Code: WS-?

Base: RAF Honington, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Location: Off the German coast, North Sea

Pilot: Fl/Sgt. Ian Edward Maitland Borley 365199. RAF Age 30. Missing

Obs: Fl/Sgt. George Miller. 580160 RAF Age 27. Missing

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Cpl. George William Park 524855. RAF Age 23. Missing

W/Op/Air/Gnr: LAC. Harry Dore. 531093 RAF Age 19. Missing

Air/Gnr: AC2. Robert Henderson. 618765 RAF Age 25. Missing

Wellingtons Mk 1 of 9 Squadron. Detailed model of Kiel harbour and district, Germany made by the RAF Model Making Section. Kiel harbour

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from RAF Honington 16:05hrs as No. 2 of Sqd/Ldr Lambs section to attack the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at Brunsbuttel harbour at the mouth of the Kiel Canal. The aircraft reached the target area which was covered in low cloud and it is believed that Wellington L4268 was shot down by flak or may have been attacked by German Bf109s and crashed into the sea. Both battleships were undamaged. This crew were some of the first casualties of the WW2, war having been declared the day before.

Further research has identified that two Wellingtons, this aircraft and Wellington I L4275 WS-H were claimed on this date and location by either:
Feldwebel Hans Troitzsch 6/JG77 - Brunsbuttel at 17:25
or Feldwebel Alfred Held 6/JG77 - Brunsbuttel at 17:15
(OKL Fighter Claims for the Reich & Western Front 1939-40)

Battle cruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst the targets for this raid were undamaged

Runnymede Memorial, Surrey

Burial details:

Fl/Sgt. Ian Edward Maitland Borley. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 1. Son of Frederick and Annie Borley. Husband of Jean Borley of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. Born in Dublin in 1909

Fl/Sgt. George Miller. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 1. Son of William Alexander and Margaret Simpson Miller of Portobello, Midlothian. At the time of his death George's address was 80 Brunstane Road, Portobello

Cpl. George William Park. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 2. Son of Thomas and Alice Maud Park of Redmire, Yorkshire. George is remembered on the Redmire St. Mary's War Memorial

LAC. Harry Dore. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 2. Son of Harry and Marion Dore of Edinburgh

AC2. Robert Henderson. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 3. Son of Robert and Hannah Henderson of Blyth, Northumberland

Researched by: Kate Tame for aircrewremembered and for all the relatives and friends of the crew. Sources as quoted below as well as UK National Archives AIR 27/125, Martin W Bowman - Bombs Away. Thanks to John Jones for the fight claim information.

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