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Archive Report: Allied Forces

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440 (City of Ottawa) Squadron
12.08.1944 440 (City of Ottawa) Squadron, RCAF Typhoon Ib MP122 Fg Off. John F. Dewar

Operation: Dive Bombing, France

Date: 12th August 1944 (Saturday)

Unit No: 440 (City of Ottawa) Squadron, RCAF, 143 Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force

Type: Typhoon Ib

Serial: MP122

Code: I8:T

Base: ALG B-9 Lantheuil, France

Location: Le Pont des Vers, France

Pilot: Fg Off. John Fraser Dewar J28180 RCAF Age 20. KiA

Above Fg Off. Dewar from his Service Record

Above: Courtesy of The Ottawa Citizen, dated June 25th, 1946

From left to right in the front row: Fg Off. Roger Eugene George McCurdy J21517 (KiA 12th August 1944), Fg Off. James Hughes Beatty J14471, Unknown, Unknown.

Standing second row: Fg Off. John Fraser Dewar (This report), WO2. Richard Arthur Watson R135831, Fg Off. Ronald William Doidge J26406 (KiA 20th October 1944), Sqn Ldr. Harold Orville Gooding DFC J10608, Flt Lt. Clifford Waldron Hicks J26912 (KiA 8th August 1944), Fg Off. Donald Claude Campbell J28170.

Seated on the wing third row: Flt Lt. Donald Edward Jenvey J11309 (Evader/Killed 25th March 1944), Fg Off. John Spencer ‘Sandy’ Colville J29167 (KiA 18th August 1944), Fg Off. R.J. Currie Gardner J36788, Fg Off. Gordon Douglas Russell J13714.

REASON FOR LOSS

On the 13th August 1944 at 17:45 hrs two flights of four Typhoons took off from B.9 Lantheuil in France on an bombing mission on a bridge to the north of Saint-Philbert-sur-Orne in France.

Note: the bridge is believed to be the one crossing the River Orne and is some 1¼ km (¾ ml) due north of Saint-Philbert-sur-Orne.

The two flights encountered intense accurate light flak over the target and only 4 bombs were dropped with no results observed.

The Typhoon of Fg Off. Dewar was seen to be hit by flak, burst into flames and crash at 18:30 hrs. He was not seen to bale out and was reported as ‘Missing Believed Killed in Action’.

On the 17th January 1945 an officer from the Missing Research and Enquiry Unit (MREU) was obtaining information regarding aircraft crashes in the départements (counties) of Calvados and Orne. During his investigations he passed through the hamlet of Le Pont des Vers where his attention was drawn to a crashed aircraft which was being removed from a house in the main street. The officer determined from the wreckage that this was Typhoon Ib MP122.

Note: The crash site is about 700 m. (770 yds) NW of the target

The crash site of MP122 was within 200 yards of Typhoon MN720, Fg Off. Roger Eugene George McCurdy which crashed less than 48 hrs later in the neighbouring hamlet of Le Haut des Vers.

Burial details:

Above Initial grave marker for Fg Off. Dewar from his Service Record

Fg Off. John Fraser Dewar. He was recovered and reinterred at the Bretteville-sur-Laize War Cemetery, Grave XXVII.F.2. Born on the 20th May 1924 in Melbourne county, Middlesex, Ontario. Son of Roderick Donald (deceased May 1940) and Mary Barbara (née Fletcher) Dewar of London, Ontario, Canada.

Researched by Ralph Snape and dedicated to this pilot and his family.

Other sources as quoted below:

RS 11.05.2023 - Initial upload

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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 MWO 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', Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, 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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