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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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111
111 Squadron Spitfire IX PT410 W/O. John Henry Coates

Operation: Canal barges

Date: 05th March 1945 (Monday)

Unit: No. 111 Squadron (motto: Adstantes - 'Standing by')

Type: Spitfire IX

Serial: PT410

Code: JU-R

Base: Ravenna, Italy

Location: Cavarzere, Italy

Pilot: W/O. John Henry Coates 1147865 RAFVR Age 24. Initially missing - believed killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Sq/Ldr. Basil Frederick Gooch Darby 121281 RAFVR flying Spitfire IX SM170 'Yellow' section took off at 06:30 hrs with 5 others to attack and bomb 20 barges on a canal. They were over the target at 06:55 hrs.

The section bombed the target but missed the barges with bombing falling south of the canal but hit some buildings.

During the dive bombing W/O. Coates was hit by flak, hit the ground and exploded. The other pilots reported that mostly inaccurate flak from 20mm and 40mm flak and the same from 88mm flak positions. The five others returned to base at 07:30 hrs.

In October 2017 the members of the Romagna Air Finders, an organisation which recovers WW2 aircraft. discovered the Spitfire and found that the pilot was still in the cockpit. DNA samples extracted from the pilots remains were matched with a relative (a niece ,Helen Watts who lives in York, North Yorkshire, UK) which allowed the pilot to be identified as W/O. John Coates.

His family attend his funeral along with regimental representatives and local dignitaries. He received a funeral with full military honours on the 27th March 201 at Padua War Cemetery, close to where his Spitfire crashed.

Burial details:

W/O. John Henry Coates - originally remembered on the Malta Memorial. Padua War Cemetery. Grave VI.B.9. Born in 1921 and had worked as a draughtsman in York prior to service. Son of John and Eliza Coates, and brother of Molly Dearlove of York, England. Epitaph: '.Blue Skies Forever Rest In Peace Harry Never Forgotten By Family'.

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to the National Archives Kew. AIR-27-870-28/29. Romagna Air Finders

Other pages that may interest you:

Pages regarding 1945 losses

Other sources as quoted below:

KTY 13-01-2024

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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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