Archive Report: Allied Forces

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01/02.10.1942 No. 78 Squadron Halifax II BB236 EY-B Sgt. E.G. Farr

Operation: Flensburg

Date: 01/02nd October 1942 (Thursday/Friday)

Unit: No. 78 Squadron

Type: Halifax II

Serial: BB236

Code: EY-B

Base: RAF Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire

Location: Friedenshugel, Germany (1)

Pilot: Sgr. G.E. Farr 1375633 RAFVF Age ? PoW No: 815 Camp: Stalag Luft Heydekrug (L6)

Fl/Eng: Sgt. Ernest Henry Tytherleigh. 1180112 RAFVR Age 33. Killed

Nav: F/O. John Hammond Carrick J/10186 RCAF Age 20. Killed

Air/Bmr: F/O. Gordon Menhennick Gillies J/10175 RCAF Age 30. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Norman Rex Jones AUS/403172 RAAF Age 26. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. G.E. Swift 1578062 RAFVR PoW No: 27230 Camp: Stalag Lamsdorf (344)

Air/Gnr: Sgt. J. Cunningham 1551604 RAFVR PoW No: 27188 Camp: Stalag Lamsdorf (344)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off from RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire at 17:59 hrs on an operation to Flensburg.

27 aircraft from No. 4 Group taking part with reported good bombing results. However, nearly 50% of the bombers failed to return: all victims of the fierce anti-aircraft fire.

BB236 was coned by 1/Res Flakscheinw Abt 609 (Werfer 15). Hit by lei Marine Flak Murwik, 1-4/Res Flak Abt 306 and 1-3/Res Flak Abt 755. The aircraft crashed on Kaiser Wilhelm Straße, Flensburg-Murwik at 2232hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archives The Early Years Part 3 Theo Boiten).

The squadron lost two aircraft during this operation, the other:

Halifax II W1036 Flown by 20 year old, Sgt. John Kenneth Gregory 1066775 RAFVR from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England - killed with 3 of his crew, 3 others PoW.

(1) Other reports state that they crashed at Oeversee, Germany - see below:

Burial details:

Sgt. Ernest Henry Tytherleigh. Kiel War Cemetery. Grave 2.D.11. Son of George Herbert and Rose Tytherleigh and husband of Emma Jane Tytherleigh, of Taunton, Somerset, England.

F/O. John Hammond Carrick. Kiel War Cemetery. Grave 2.D.14. Believed to be from St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. No further details - are you able to assist?

F/O. Gordon Menhennick Gillies. Kiel War Cemetery. Grave 2.G.3. Born on the 05th January 1912, the son of Samuel Robert and Alice Emma (née) Menhennick) Gillies. The family lived in Ailsa Craig until 1916 when they moved to Hamilton, Ontario. Gordon finished high school in Hamilton and then worked in the Canadian Bank of Commerce (1931 - 1934); then the Coca - Cola Co. in Hamilton and Kitchener as a salesman (1935 - 40), before enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force in January 1941. After completing training in Canada (where he had the highest standing in his graduating class from Mountain View, near Belleville Ontario.) Commissioned a Flying Officer in February 1942 with the 78th RAF Squadron and operated as a bomb aimer with the flight crew. (Shown above)

Sgt. Norman Rex Jones. Kiel War Cemetery. Grave 2.G.4. Born on the 08th August 1916 at Grafton New South Wales, the son of Raymond Eric and Mabel Irene Jones, of Grafton, New South Wales, Australia. Grave inscription reads: “Sacred To The Memory Of Darling Rex. Till The Morning Breaks”.

Researched by Michael Beckers for Aircrew Remembered - September 2017. Aircraft wreckage photographs - Michel Beckers collection. Thanks also to Doug Stapleton for photo of his relative, F/O. Gordon Menhennick Gillies, Bob Boston for crew grave photographs. Thanks to John Jones for the information regarding the shooting down of the aircraft. Page dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to other sources as shown below.

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