Operation: Wismar, Germany

Date: 19/20th July 1940 (Friday/Saturday)

Unit: No. 9 Squadron

Type: Wellington IC

Serial: L7795

Code: WS-G

Base: RAF Honington, Suffolk

Location: Eckemforde Bucht, NW of Kiel, Germany

Pilot: Sqr/Ldr. John Blackwell Sinclair Monypenny 29098 RAF Age 28. Killed (1)

2nd Pilot: F/Lt. Douglas Davidson Middleton 39105 RAF Age 26. Killed (2)

Obs: Sgt. Fred Watson 580743 RAF Age 24. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Walter Robert Cowell 628277 RAF Age 20. Killed (3)

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Merle Gott 522865 RAF Age 23. Killed (4)

Air/Gnr: P/O. Harold Frederick Archdale Lees 78545 RAFVR. Killed

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A Wellington IC aircraft. (courtesy of Imperial War Museum)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Squadron Leader Monypenny and crew took off from RAF Honington in Wellington L7795 at 20:10hrs for an operation on an aircraft park near Wismar on the Baltic Coast. Oberleutnant Werner Streib of 2/NJG.1 in his Bf110 claimed to have shot down this aircraft at 02:00hrs. The aircraft crashed into the Baltic Sea at Eckernforde Bucht (a bay in Schleswig-Holstein area) NW of Kiel. One of 12 aircraft tasked for this operation Wellington L7795 was the only aircraft lost from the Squadron on this operation

Left: Runnymede Memorial, Surrey (courtesy CWGC) Right Sgt. M Gott is remembered on the Stourton and Thwaitegate War Memorial, Yorkshire (courtesy Steve Miller - Yorkshire Indexes)

Burial details:

Sqr/Ldr. John Blackwell Sinclair Monypenny. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 4. Son of Sinclair Howard Monypenny and Mary Beatrice Monypenny. Husband of Eveline Maud Monypenny of Barkway, Hertfordshire, England. (1) Born on the 22nd April 1911 in Hadlow and educated at some stage at Yardley Court School, Tonbridge, Kent. On the 27th June 1930 John Blackwell Sinclair was granted a short service commission as Pilot Officer on promotion posted to RAF Depot, Uxbridge and then posted to No 58 Squadron, Worthy Down on 23 June 1931. On the 27th February 1932 P/O. Sinclair was promoted to Flying Officer. In 1936 27th February John was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and was posted to No 224 Coastal Command (General Reconnaissance) Squadron, RAF Thornby and on the 23 August 1937 he was posted to No. 3 Armament Training Camp, Sutton Bridge. Flight Lieutenant John Blackwell Sinclair Monypenny was promoted to Squadron Leader as of 1st December 1938 and arrived at No 9 Squadron on the 11th May 1940. John Blackwell Sinclair Monypenny is remembered on the Yardley Court School WW2 Memorial and the Hadlow Civic War Memorial

F/Lt. Douglas Davidson Middleton. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 4. Son of Revd. Fred Charles Middleton and Nellie D. Middleton. Husband of Olwen M. Middleton of Axminster, Devon, England. (2) Douglas Davidson Middleton was born in Fort Francis, Ontario, Canada and arrived in the UK aged 19 on the 28th November 1933. Douglas Davidson Middleton short service commission was promulgated on the 31st August 1936 and he was posted to No 11 Flying Training School at Wittering on the 12th September 1936 where he gained his Flying Badge. He was confirmed in his appointment as Pilot Officer on the 6th July 1937 and was promoted to the rank of Flying Officer on 6th April 1939. Douglas is remembered on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Sgt. Fred Watson. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 20. Son of Stanley and Ada Watson of Heaton, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England.

Sgt. Walter Robert Cowell. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 13. Son of Robert John and Sarah Elizabeth Cowell of Downham Market, Norfolk, England. (3) Walter is remembered on the Downham Market War Memorial

Sgt. Merle Gott. Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. Panel 14. Son of Percy and Josephine V. P. Gott of Leeds, Yorkshire. (4) Merel is remembered on the Stourton and Thwaitegate War Memorial, Leeds, England.

P/O. Harold Frederick Archdale Lees. Kiel War Cemetery. Grave Ref: 1. B. 17. Son of Frederic Herbert and Mabel Mary Lees of Dartford, Kent, England.

Researched by: Kate Tame Aircrew Remembered and for all the relatives and friends of the crew. With special thanks to Commonwealth War Graves Commission, W. R. Chorley - Bomber Command Losses 1939-1940 including Prewar Losses July 1936 - September 1939, The London Gazette archives, UK National Archives Air 27/125 and Air 27/131, Hadlow Civic War Memorial, T Mason - History of No 9 Squadron, Gordon Thorburn - Bombers First and Last, Canadian Virtual War Memorial - Les Allison, Steve Miller - Yorkshire Indexes. Also to Stephen Trainor who contacted us in June 2018.

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