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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21/22.01.1943 429 (Bison) Squadron Wellington III BK432 AL:S Fg Off. Johnson

Operation: Gardening

Date: 21st/22nd January 1943 (Thursday/Friday)

Unit: 429 (Bison) Squadron RCAF, 4 Group (motto: Fortunae Nihil - 'Nothing to chance')

Type: Wellington III

Serial: BK432

Code: AL:S

Base: RAF East Moor, North Yorkshire

Location: Waddenzee, Holland

Pilot: Fg Off. Ian Sinclair Johnson 415300 RNZAF Age 30. Killed

Nav: Sgt. Charles Risingham 1095177 RAFVR Age 22. Killed

Bomb Aimer: Fg Off. Ian Nicoll Stirton 120887 RAFVR Age 41. Killed

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. Alfred George Dymick 1290666 RAFVR Age 21. Missing - believed killed

Air Gnr: Sgt. John Stuart 1350310 RAFVR Age 21. Missing - believed killed

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Would Rebekah Stuart-Wilson (Granddaughter of Sgt. John Stuart) please email, as the contact details we have no longer work?

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REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off at 16:56 hrs from East Moor on a gardening (See Abbreviations) operation to the Nectarines region of the Frisian Island chain. 70 aircraft taking part in this larger than usual operation. Dropping magnetic mines between 18:10 hrs and 19:43 hrs.

Weather conditions for the operation were a full moon, heavy cloud formations with rain and a general poor visibility avoided heavy contact with the Luftwaffe night fighters.

A total of 6 aircraft were lost with two falling victim to the night fighters and the remainder by the Kreigsmarine flak units.

BK432 was hit by flak from Stab M.Flak Abt. 246 Harlington and crashed in flames into the Waddenzee off Roptazijl and exploded at 18:37 hrs (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (1 January - 22 June) 1943 Part 1 - Theo Boiten).

Above as described (courtesy Greg Kopchuk)

Sgt. John Stuart (Courtesy Gregory Kopchuk via Marilyn Ainsworth, Sgt. Stuart’s niece)

Above: Sgt. Dymick on his wedding day with his new wife Mary on 2nd August 1942 (Credit: Greg Kopchuk)

Burial details:

Fg Off. Ian Sinclair Johnson. Terschelling (West-Terschelling) General Cemetery. Grave 92. Born on the 10th May 1912 at Wellington, the son of Jack and Jessica Johnson (née Rivett), of Wellington City, New Zealand, husband of Margaret Clara Johnson (née Church), of Khandallah, Wellington, New Zealand.

A clerk for Air Department prior to enlisting on the 28th September 1941. A total of 389 flying hours logged and on his 3rd operational sortie.

Sgt. Charles Risingham. Barradeel (Pietersbierum) Protestand Churchyard Row 28. Grave 3. Son of Charles and Evelyn Risingham, of Scholes, Yorkshire, England.

Fg Off. Ian Nicoll Stirton. Usquert General Cemetery Class 1. Plot 2. Row 18. Grave 4. Son of James Nicoll Stirton and Clara Mabel Stirton, husband of Margaret Evelyn Stirton, of Wooton Bridge, Isle of Wight.

Sgt. Alfred George Dymick. Runnymede Memorial Panel 148. Born in 1st Qtr 1922 in Godstone, Surrey. Son of Alfred Harry and Isablla A. (née Ashdown) Dymick. Husband to Mary H. (née Reed) Dymick of Hampstead, London, England.

Sgt. John Stuart. Runnymede Memorial Panel 166. Born 4th September 1921 in Kirkintilloch, Dunbartonshire. Son of John and Elizabeth Stuart, of Lennoxtown, Stirlingshire, Scotland. (Lennoxtown Memorial shown below).

Sgt. Stuart had previously been interned in Portugal before returning to England. He joined 429 Squadron on 19th November 1942. On the 14th August 1942 Wellington Ic Z9026, from the No. 1 Overseas Aircraft Delivery Unit (OADU), on a delivery flight from RAF Portreath to Gibraltar, developed an engine problem which necessitated landing at Sintra airfield in Portugal where the entire crew were interned.

Researched for Rebekah Stuart-Wilson (Granddaughter of Sgt. Stuart) and the rest of the crew. With thanks to Greg Kopchuk for new photographs, Jenifer Lemaire and to the extensive research by Errol Martyn and his publications: “For Your Tomorrow Vols. 1-3”, Auckland Library Heritage Collection, Weekly News of New Zealand. Thanks again to Greg Kopchuk for the image of Sgt. Dymick (Oct 2021). Other updates by Aircrew Remembered (Oct 2021). Thanks to Greg Hughes for Sgt. Stuart's DoB and for the clue to his internment (Jan 2020). Other sources as quoted below:

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