Operation: Dortmund, Germany

Date: 23rd/24th May 1943 (Sunday/Monday)

Unit No: 214 (FMS) Squadron, 3 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Stirling III

Serial: BF478

Code: BU:G

Base: RAF Chedburgh, Suffolk.

Location: Sea 7½ km west of Den Helder.

Pilot: Plt Off. John Wesley Evans J18037 RCAF Age 22. MiA

Flt Eng: Sgt. Victor Norman Walker 1380192 RAFVR Age 23. MiA

Nav: Sgt. Zanwel Goldfinger 1330847 RAFVR Age 24. MiA

Bomb Aimer: Sgt. Roy Craven Child 968999 RAFVR Age 25. MiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Flt.Sgt. Harold Ward 1060035 RAFVR Age 20. MiA

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. Ronald Victor Street 1575811 RAFVR Age. 19. KiA (1)

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Ernest Douglas Ager 646478 RAF Age 23. MiA

Above: Some of the crew of BF478. The photograph is from the collection of the sister of Ronald Street. (courtesy Nicky Davenport)

Front row Left to Right: Sgt. Ager, Unknown, Sgt. Walker, Sgt. Street. Rear Row left to Right: Unknown, Plt Off. Evans, Fg Off. Etienne

Above: Sgt. Victor Norman Walker (Courtesy of Ian Duffin)

Note: Mr. Ben Eustice believes that Fg Off. Etienne is Fg Off. Hugh Terence Etienne 129058 RAFVR. He was reported MiA on an operation on the night of the 5th/6th March 1943 abroad 214 Sqn Stirling BK662 BU:K on a raid to Essen when they were hit by Flak, crashing into the North Sea.

Note: The British Malayan Federation adopted the Squadron after placing the funds to equip it and then officially name 214 Federated May States (FMS) Squadron.

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 23:06 hrs from RAF Chedburgh, Suffolk. After a 9-day break in major operations, Bomber Command dispatched 826 aircraft to Dortmund – a record number of aircraft in a “non-1,000” raid so far in the war and the largest raid of the Battle of the Ruhr.

The force comprised of 343 Lancasters, 199 Halifaxes, 151 Wellingtons, 120 Stirlings and 13 Mosquitoes. 38 aircraft – 18 Halifaxes, 8 Lancasters, 6 Stirlings, 6 Wellingtons – were lost.

The Pathfinders marked the target accurately in clear weather conditions and the ensuing attack proceeded according to plan. It was a very successful raid. Many industrial premises were hit, particularly the large Hoesch steelworks, which ceased production.

Bombing took place between 01:03 hrs and 02:10 hrs. The operation caused devastation to the centre and outlying districts of the city. 2,000 buildings were destroyed, many of them industrial including the Hoesch steelworks. Casualties on the ground amounted to over 600 killed with a further 1,275 injured.

The force from Bomber Command was hit hard losing some 41 aircraft with 189 aircrew killed and 68 becoming PoWs.

BF478 was hit by Marine Flak and crashed in the sea 7½ km west of Den Helder at 00:53 hrs. Note: Lagebericht (situation report) of the Wehrmachtsbefehlshaber in den Niederlanden for week 24-30 May 1943 gives ’02.14hrs Stirling sea 8 km W. Den Helder through Flak, fate of crew unknown’. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (1 January - 22 June) 1943 Part 1 - Theo Boiten)

214 (FMS) Squadron lost two (2) other aircraft during this operation:

Stirling III BF528 BU:L2 - Flown by Sgt. Jack Kenneth Wilkins from Auckland, New Zealand. He and one (1) other of his crew were KiA and five (5) taken PoW. Aircraft coming down at Munchen-Gladbach;

Stirling III MZ261 BU:T - Flown by Flt.Sgt. John Joseph Egan from Victoria Park, Australia. He and his crew killed were KiA. The aircraft crashed at Unna, 15 km from Dortmund.

(1) The body of Sgt. Street was washed up on the 2nd June 1943 at 17:00 hrs. at Engelsman Plaat, between Schiermonnikoog and Ameland on the Dutch Frisian Islands. The cause of death was possibly drowning, as the body had few injuries apart from facial burns and a broken left leg. His burial took place on the 4th June 1943. This information comes from a letter from the Air Ministry dated 6th January 1944 and confirmed by Nicky Davenport.

Above Village sign at Chedburgh, Suffolk, England - base of 214 Squadron.

Burial details:

Plt Off. John Wesley Evans. Runnymede Memorial Panel 175. Born on the 5th October 1920 in Aston, Saskatchewan. Son of Alfred Ethelbert Evans and Minnie Evans (née Duncan) of Richlea, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Sgt. Victor Norman Walker. Runnymede Memorial Panel 168. Born on the 13th June 1921 in Brentford, Middlesex. Son of Charles William and Clara (née Mitchell) Walker of Feltham, Middlesex, England.

Sgt. Zanwel Goldfinger. Runnymede Memorial Panel 150. Born on the 6th January 1919 in Kielce, Swietokrzyskie, Poland. Son of Chajim Leib Goldfinger and Dewora (née Lubling) Goldfinger of Haifa, Israel.

Sgt. Roy Craven Child. Runnymede Memorial Panel 145. Son of James William Edward and Beatrice Mary Child. Husband of Irene Joan (née Nash) Child of Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

Flt Sgt. Harold Ward. Runnymede Memorial Panel 139. Born on the 1st July 1922 in Bently, Doncaster. Son of Walter and Edith Lydia (née Simmons) Ward of Bircotes, Nottinghamshire, England.

Schiermonnikoog (Vredenhof) Cemetery grave of Sgt. Street. (courtesy Tom Bint)

Sgt. Ronald Victor Street. Schiermonnikoog (Vredenhof) Cemetery. Grave 101. Born on 24th April, 1923 in Wolverhampton, England. Son of Albert and Mary Ann Street of Low Hill, Wolverhampton, England.

Sgt. Ernest Douglas Ager. Runnymede Memorial Panel 140. Born in the 1st Qtr of 1920 in Reading, Berkshire. Son of Alfred and Alice Maud (née Ilot)t Ager of Reading, Berkshire. Husband of Olive Margaret (née Price) Ager of Reading, Berkshire, England.

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to Nicky Davenport - relative of Sgt. Ronald Street, Victor Walker, nephew of Sgt. Victor Walker (Dec 2015 & Sep 2020), Tom Bint from the 626 Squadron website, Mr. Ian Duffin great nephew of Sgt Ager. Updated by Aircrew Remembered. (Sep 2020). Reviewed and updated with new loss information by Aircrew Remembered (Nov 2025).

Other sources listed below

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