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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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RAF Crest
30.03.1943 No 1483 Gunnery Flight (3 Group) Wellington III Z1747 Fl/Lt. Greenup

Operation: Training

Date: 30th March 1943 (Tuesday)

Unit: No. 1483 Gunnery Flight (3 Group)

Type: Wellington III

Serial: Z1747

Code: Not issued

Base: RAF Marham, Norfolk

Location: Between base and Barton Bendish, Norfolk, England

Pilot: Fl/Lt. Douglas Ronald Greenup 46221 RAF Age 26. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: AC.1. Ronald James Chitty 1389214 RAFVR Age 22. Killed

Air/Gnr-Instr: F/O. Bruce Neal NZ/411771 RNZAF Age 21. Killed

Air/Gnr-Instr: Fl/Sgt. Kenneth Mitchell Newland NZ/403021 RNZAF Age 21. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Maurice Richard Langdale-Hunt NZ/41136 RNZAF Age 33. Killed

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Benjamin Campbell Harvey R/132700 RCAF Age 22. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Arthur Lonsdale Laycock 1549850 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Walter Harvey Lowey 1515134 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Joseph Macneall 1508454 RAFVR Age 33. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 10:00 hrs from RAF Marham on a cine camera exercise.

No further details but it seems that during the flight at around 11:15 hrs the aircraft suffered structural failure when the starboard wing broke away (lower red bolts failed). Sadly, all the crew were killed in the subsequent crash.

Above: Fl/Sgt. Hugh Walter Beavis (1), Sgt. Maurice Richard Langdale-Hunt, Ronald Brown and Fl/Sgt. Ken Morrison (2).

(1) Fl/Sgt. Hugh Beavis NZ/417003 RNZAF - killed on the 25th July 1943 whilst with 218 Squadron. Stirling III BF567 on an operation to Hamburg flown by Wg/Cdr. Donald Teale Saville DSO. DFC 74738 RAFVR when they intercepted by a night fighter. 7 crew killed with 1 other PoW.

(2) Fl/Sgt. Ken Morrison NZ/417092 RNZAF - killed on the 25th June 1943 whilst with 78 Squadron. Halifax II JB962 on an operation to Wuppertal 5 are known to have been killed, 2 others missing.

Burial details:

Fl/Lt. Douglas Ronald Greenup. Littleover Churchyard (St. Peter) Son of Alan Herbert and Ethel Greenup and husband of Marie Greenup, of Mickleover, Derbyshire, England. Grave inscription reads: "In Proud And Ever Loving Memory Of A Very Dear, Devoted Husband And Father".

AC.1. Ronald James Chitty. Walthamstow Cemetery (Queens Road). Sec. B. Grave 482A. Son of Percy and Elizabeth Maud Chitty, of Walthamstow and husband of Lilian Helen Chitty, of Walthamstow, London, England.

F/O. Bruce Neal. Marham Cemetery. War Graves Plot. Grave 38. Son of Charles Frederick Neal and of Jane Elizabeth Neal (née Cruickshank), of Warkworth, Auckland, New Zealand. A total of 356 flying hours logged and had completed 32 operational sorties - with 75 Squadron.

Fl/Sgt. Kenneth Mitchell Newland. Marham Cemetery. War Graves Plot. Grave 35. Son of Arthur Charles and Grace Newland, of Te Pahu, Auckland, New Zealand. A total of 397 flying hours logged and had completed 18 operational sorties - with 218 Squadron.

Sgt. Maurice Richard Langdale-Hunt. Marham Cemetery. War Graves Plot. Grave 37. Son of Albert Ernest Langdale-Hunt and of Emma Jane Langdale-Hunt (née Paynter), of West Melton, Canterbury, New Zealand. Had completed 105 flying hours and was about to be posted to an operational squadron.

Fl/Sgt. Benjamin Campbell Harvey. Marham Cemetery. War Graves Plot. Grave 36. Son of George S. Harvey and Madelene D. Harvey, of Medford, Massachusetts, USA. Grave inscription reads: "He Gave All".

Sgt. Arthur Lonsdale Laycock. Queensbury Cemetery. Sec. A. Grave 131. Son of Tom Lonsdale Laycock and Betty Laycock, of Amblerthorn, Yorkshire, England. Grave inscription reads: "Remembrance, Love's Last Gift".

Sgt. Walter Harvey Lowey. Manchester Crematorium. Panel 17. Son of Walter Edward and Margaret Reid Lowey, of Heaton Mersey Greater Manchester, England.

Sgt. Joseph MacNeall. Stockport Cemetery (Willow Grove). Sec. W. Grave 15414. Son of Aloysius and Charlotte Macneall, of Reddish Stockport and husband of Edna MacNeall, of Reddish, Stockport, Cheshire, England. Grave inscription reads: "Greater Love Hath No Man Than This, That A Man Lay Down His Life For His Friends".

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to the research by Errol Martyn and his publications: “For Your Tomorrow Vols. 1-3”, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Weekly News of New Zealand, also to Jo Featherston whose relative Fl/Sgt. Kenneth Forbes Morrison served with this pilot. Jo runs a blog as shown here. Other sources as quoted below:

KTY - 21.03.2018

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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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