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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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400
400 Squadron (RCAF) Mustang I AP191 F/O. William Herkis Jessiman MiD

Operation: Sweep

Date: 03rd January 1944 (Monday)

Unit: No. 400 Squadron (motto: Percussuri Vigiles - 'On the watch to strike'). 38 Group

Type: Mustang I

Serial: AP191

Code: SP-O

Base: RAF Redhill, Surrey

Location: Northern France

Pilot: F/O. William Herkis Jessiman MiD. J/10390 RCAF Age 28. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 11:10 hrs as Green 1 with Fl/ Lt. Morham (1) as Green 2. After they crossed the French coast at Cabourg they climbed up into the clouds.
Fl/ Lt. Morham noticed Green 1 peel off to port and climbed away. Attempts were made by green to contact him over the r/t but green 1 failed to respond.
Green 2 returned to base at 12:30 hrs and nothing further was heard of F/O. Jessiman and he was posted as missing.

Burial details:

F/O. William Herkis Jessiman MiD. Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery. Grave XXIV. E. 7. Born on the 09thg October 1915 Enlisted 04th June 1940. Son of James Munro and Margaret Jessiman, of Vickers Heights, Ontario, both originate from Scotland. Epitaph: 'Under His Wings My Soul Shall Abide'. His Brother Sgt. George Herkis Jessiman R/68645 RCAF also lost his life in service. Whilst flying as an air gunner with 428 Squadron Halifax V LK928 on the 20 December 1943, shot down by a night fighter, Hot., Paul Rauh of 3./ NJG4.
Further details on his brothers loss here.


(1) Fl/Lt. Kent Larue Morham C/1484 RCAF - Survived the war. Born on the 13th September 1919 in Montreal, Quebec. Awaded his pilot 'Wings' on the 06th August 1940. Husband of Katherine Lois (née Jentz - passed away 15th September 2006, age 82). Son of Clifford LaRue Morham (passed away on the 13th November 1946. age 60) and Eleanor Gibson Morham (née Brown - passed away 27th March 1957, age 68). A flight instructor with the Commonwealth Air Training Program. flew sorties over occupied France, returning to Canada prior to the allied invasion in 1944. Kent graduated from McGill University in 1947 with a degree in engineering and married the love of his life Lois that same year. He worked for Alcan Canada Products his entire professional career. As the export sales manager for the wire and cable division he traveled the world and brought back many souvenirs from China, Africa and South America. Passed away on the 15th January 2011, age 91 at Niagara-on-the-Lake Hospital.

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to the National Archives Kew AIR-27-1770-35/36/ Flying For Your Life - Canada, Government of Canada WW2 Service files, Paradie RCAF Archive, Kracker Luftwaffe Archive.

Other Other sources as quoted below:

KTY 26-12-2024

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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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