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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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419 crest
15/16.10.1942 No.419 Sqn. Wellington III BK270 F/Sgt. John P. Jolley


Operation: Cologne

Date: 15/16 October 1942 (Thursday/Friday)

Unit: No.419 RCAF (Moose) Squadron

Type: Vickers Wellington III

Serial: BK270

Code: ?

Base: Croft, Yorkshire.

Location: Gerkerath, N. Rheindalen, Germany

Pilot: F/Sgt. John Percy Jolley, R/94638 RCAF Age 21 Killed (1)

Nav: F/O Leslie Rowland Scourfield J/9782 RCAF Age 27 Killed

W.Op/AG: Sgt. Vincent Ormerod Noonan AUS/406508 RAAF Age 25 Killed

Bmr: F/Sgt. Henry Arthur Grover R/84083 RCAF Age 21 Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Patrick James Anderton, 534829 RAF Age 23 Killed

(1) Jolley Lake in Saskatchewan is named after F/Sgt. Jolley

REASON FOR LOSS

Captain Jolley and crew took off from Croft at 18:56 hours as part of a combined force of 289 aircraft. Only minor damage to the target was sustatined due to inaccurate wind forcasting affecting marking of the target area. A large decoy fire had also been set which received the majority of the bombs dropped.

On their return from the raid, the attacking force were met by patrolling night fighters who succeeded in bringing down 18 of the bombers and damaging four others.
Oblt. Hans-Dieter Frank
One of the first to be brought down at 22.05 hours was the Wellington of Captain Jolley a victim of night fighter ace Oblt. Hans-Dieter Frank who went on to claim a Lancaster of 106 Squadron and a Stirling of 214 Squadron later that night.

Oblt. Frank and his radio operator, Ofw. Erich Gotter, were both killed on the night of 27/28 September, 1943 when their Heinkel 219 night fighter was involved in a mid air collision with a Messerschmitt Bf110. At the time of his death Oblt. Frank had 55 confirmed victories. (see Kracker Luftwaffe Archive on this site)

Oblt. Frank

Burial Details:

F/Sgt. John Percy Jolley. Runnymede Memorial Panel 104. Son of Sqdn Ldr. John Jolley RCAF and Lily Mary Jolley of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Further details: F/Sgt. Jolley was in his second year at St. Johns College, University of Manitoba when he enlisted in March 1941. After completing his training at No. 2 ITS Regina, he qualified for pilot training and was sent to No.6 EFTS Prince Albert and then to No.4 SFTS Saskatoon. Arriving in Great Britain in January, 1942 he was posted to No.15 Advanced Flying Unit and from there to 22 Operational Training Unit (OTU) and 10 Heavy Conversion (HCU) before joining 419 Squadron on September 8, 1942. F/Sgt. Jolleys’ father was an ordained minister and served as a RCAF Chaplain during the war.


P/O Leslie Rowland Scourfield, Runnymede Memorial Panel 99. Son of James Roland and Nellie Jane (nee Shepard) Scourfield of London, Ontario, Canada.

Further details: P/O Scourfield's father James, emigrated from Bristol , England and married Nellie in August 1914. A year later, James enlisted in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force and was killed in the trenches at Zillibeke, Belgium on the 5 June, 1916. He is remembered on the Meningate Memorial. Sadly, Nellie was to lose her only child Leslie in 1942. She never remarried and is buried in the Union United Church Cemetery, Union, Ontario.


Sgt. Vincent Ormerod Noonan, Rheinberg War Cemetery Grave 2.B.23. Son of Mrs. Hilda Fleming of Victoria Park, Western Australia.
No further details.

F/Sgt. Henry Arthur Grover, Runnymede Memorial Panel 104. Son of Josiah and Jessie Hamilton (nee Smith) Grover of St.Catherines, Ontario, Canada.
Further details: Enlisted December 1940 and selected for training as a navigator he trained at No.4 Air Observer School, London and No.1 Bombing and Gunnery School, Jarvis, Ontario prior to training at No.2 Air Navigation School, Pennfield Ridge, N.B. Arriving in Great Britain in January 1942, he was posted to No.3 (O) Advanced Flying Unit at Bobbington for further navigation training and then to 22 OTU and 10 HCU before joining 419 Squadron in August 1942.


Sgt. Patrick James Anderton, Rheinberg War Cemetery Grave 2.B.22. Son of James and Annie Anderton of Preston, Lancashire. No further details.

Researched and written for Aircrew Remembered by Colin Bamford and dedicated to the families of the crew of Wellington BK670.

CHB 24.01.2016

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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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