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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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218
218 Squadron Stirling I N3718 HA-C P/O. Geoffrey George Jeary

Operation: Bremen

Date: 02/03rd July 1942 (Thursday/Friday)

Unit: No. 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron (motto: 'In time'). 3 Group

Type: Stirling I

Serial: N3718

Code: HA-C

Base: RAF Marham, Norfolk

Location: North Sea

Pilot: P/O. Geoffrey George Jeary 126109 RAFVR Age 29. Missing - believed killed

Fl/Eng: Sgt. Jack Mainwaring 572972 RAF Age 20. Missing - believed killed

Obs: Fl/Sgt. Richard John Anderson R/77386 RCAF Age 23. Missing - believed killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Ronald Ernest Pithers 905958 RAFVR Age 21. Missing - believed killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Walter McDonald Watson 1112566 RAFVR Age 22. Missing - believed killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr:Fl/Sgt. Reginald Frederick Noton R/59356 RCAF Age 31. Missing - believed killed

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Harold Ernest Magladry R/74322 RCAF Age 24. Missing - believed killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Wearger: Fine with good visibility.

325 aircraft dispatched with 9 sent from 218 squadron. P/O Jeary crew took off at 23:25 hrs.

Over the target with good visibility and a high proportion of the 325 crews reported good results although it is likely that most of the bombs fell outside the town. Some damage to the port area, including the sinking of one 1700 ton ship.

At 00:28 hrs a distress signal was received by N3718 but nothing further was heard from them.

The 8 remains aircraft returned safelyo the base between 0325 and 04/;50 hrs.

Stirling N3718 was shot down by night fighter ace Oberleutnant Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein of the 9./NJG 2, who was flying a Ju 88 C-6 from Gilze-Rijen airfield over the North Sea 50 km west of the Hook of Holland whilst flying at 300m at 03:05 hrs.

note: 218 squadron was adopted by the Governor and peoples of the Gold Coast in 1941 but in the United Kingdom it was known as 'Weston-super-Mare’s Own'.

Burial details:

P/O. Geoffrey George Jeary. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 70. Born on the 12th February, 1913 in Bristol. Attended rough Road College from 1933 to 1935. Next of kin details not currently available - can you assist?

Sgt. Jack Mainwaring. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 89. Son of Ernest Bert Mainwaring (died 24th July 1928, age 40) and of Gertrude Marian Mainwaring, (née Buckley - died 22nd July 1975, age 88) of 180 Walnut Avenue, Hale, Lancashire. England.

Fl/Sgt. Richard John Anderson Runnymede Memorial. Panel 102 Born on the 20th April 1919 in Ontario. Enlisted 15th November 1940. Son of James William and Muriel Evelyn Anderson (née Storey - deceased) of 446 Maple Avenue, St. Lambert, Province of Quebec, Canada.

Fl/Sgt. Ronald Ernest Pithers. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 75. Son of Ernest James Pithers and Annie Pithers, of Exeter, England.

Sgt. Walter McDonald Watson . Runnymede Memorial. Panel 96. Son of George S. and Josephine Watson, of Sandhaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Fl/Sgt. Reginald Frederick Noton. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 106. Born on the 18th May 1911 in Newstead, Nottinghamshire, England. Enlisted on the 28th June 1940. Son of Frederick William (died 30th August 1960, age 78) and Ethel Mary Noton, (née Wynch - died 30th September 1977, age 87) both took up farming when they arrived on Canada, of Wawanesa, Manitoba, Canada. The family emigrated to Canada in 1912.

Noton Lake in Manitoba was named after Fl/Sgt. Reginald Noton.

Fl/Sgt. Harold Ernest Magladry Runnymede Memorial. Panel 105. Born on the 10th September 1917 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Enlisted on the 21st October 1940. Son of John Edward and Florence Magladry, of 796 Bronson Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.


Courtesy Lost Memorial
Original on Youtube
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Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to the National Archive. Kew AIR-27/1350/13/14, Paradie RCAF Archives, Kracker Luftwaffe Archives,.Steve Smith 218 Squadron


KTY 12-10-2024

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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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