Operation: Essen
Date: 08/09th June 1942 (Monday/Tuesday)
Unit: No. 12 Squadron
Type: Wellington II
Serial: Z8652
Code: PH-? (Are you able to confirm?)
Base: RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire
Location: Not known - ‘probably’ target area
Pilot: Sgt. William Clayton 1254858 RAFVR Age 31. Killed
Pilot 2: Sgt. Edward Arthur Conybear 983702 RAFVR Age 23. Killed
Obs: Sgt. Harold Bond 1168700 RAFVR Age 21. Killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Alastair Charles Robertson 1113937 RAFVR Age 28. Killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Charles Stewart McIntyre 1112959 RAFVR Age 20. Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Philip Julian Seckerson 1375679 RAFVR Age 28. Killed
We welcome contact from relatives of the crew members - or indeed other information on this loss
REASON FOR LOSS:
No details on the nature of the loss but thought ‘probable’ that they were brought down by anti-aircraft fire over the target area. No Luftwaffe claims for this aircraft that took off from RAF Binbrook at 23:16 hrs.
170 aircraft left from various bases to bomb the German city of Essen. The city was classed as one of the major industrial areas of Germany. During the war the area had been bombed on no less than 272 occasions.This operation was made up with 92 Wellingtons, 42 Halifaxes, 14 Stirlings, 13 Lancasters, 9 Hampdens.
Bombing was made from 17,000 ft, but proved to be inaccurate due to poor target identification, the city suffered only light damage with 13 people killed a further 42 injured on the ground.The RAF lost some 20 aircraft, 96 crew losing their lives, 1 taken PoW with 2 others evading capture. Most of the aircraft lost to the night fighters were over Holland.
Burial details:Burial details:
Sgt. William Clayton. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Grave 9.B.7. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Clayton, of Grovesend, Glamorgan, Wales. William held a Batchelor of Arts Degree. (University of Wales).
The following tribute to Sgt. Clayton has been posted on the Gower County School Memorial
Sgt. Edward Arthur Conybear. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Collective grave 9.B.3-5. Son of Frank Robinson Conybear and Florence Alice Conybear, of Uplands, Swansea, Wales.
Sgt. Harold Bond. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Collective grave 9.B.3-5. Son of Richard James Bond and Mabel Jeannette Bond, of Shirley, Southampton, England.
Sgt. Alastair Charles Robertson. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Grave 9.B.6. Son of Alex and Thirza Elizabeth Robertson, of Whitecraigs, Renfrewshire, Scotland.
Sgt. Charles Stewart McIntyre. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Collective grave 9.B.3-5. Son of Donald Grant McIntyre and Helen Ann McIntyre, of Dunkeld, Perthshire, Scotland.
Sgt. Philip Julian Seckerson. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Grave 9.B.2. Son of John Ernest and Constance Seckerson of Dudley, Worcestershire, England.
With thanks to Bob McIntyre - relative of the W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Charles McIntyre. For further details our thanks to the following sources. Also to Larry Roberts of Canada, who assisted Bob with basic details in 1999. Thanks to John Jones for the link to the Gower County School Memorial for Sgt. Clayton. Finally to our friend, Mitch Buiting who made a special trip for us and the relatives taking the grave photographs of the crew in September 2016.
All the grave photographs are available free of charge at a higher resolution to relatives courtesy of Mitch.
RS 23.05.2019 - Addition of Gower County School tribute to Sgt. Clayton
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember
them. - Laurence
Binyon
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Last Modified: 17 March 2021, 16:38