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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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13/14th May 1944 38 Squadron Wellington XII JA200 F/O. Jolly

Operation: Armed Reconnaissance

Date: 13/14th May 1944 (Saturday/Sunday

Unit: No. 38 Squadron (motto: Ante lucem - 'Before the dawn') 201 Group

Type: Wellington XIII

Serial: JA200

Code: K

Base: Berka III Airfield, Libya

Location: Aegean Sea

Pilot: F/O. James Francis Hornby Jolly 137431 RAFVR Age 22. Missing - believed killed

Obs: Fl/Sgt. Cecil Blanchard Dunthorne 1534420 RAFVR Age 21. Missing - believed killed

Air/Bmr: F/O. Arthur Roscoe 146885 RAFVR Age ? Missing - believed killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Joel Thomas Bamford 1673006 RAFVR Age 20. Missing - believed killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Leonard Brough 1684216 RAFVR Age 21. Missing - believed killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Charles Beagle 1800911 RAFVR Age ? Missing - believed killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 23:40 hrs with three others from the squadron on an armed reconnaissance operation in the central area of the Aegean.

The others:
Wellington XIII JA514 flown by P/O. W. Heston, Wellington XIII JA566 flown by P/O.. I. Johnson and Wellington XIII JA536 flown by P/O. K. Moderwell landed by 07:00 hrsthese three all lined back at base by 07:00 hrs.

JA200 last transmitted at 05:00 hrs when they were on the return trip., no trace of the aircraft were found.

Burial details:

F/O. James Francis Hornby Jolly. Alamein Memorial. Column 279. Son of James Hornby Jolly and Elizabeth Jolly, of Barnt Green, Worcestershire, England.

Fl/Sgt. Cecil Blanchard Dunthorne. Alamein Memorial. Column 279. Son of John Richard and Mabel Annie Dunthorne, of Irby, Cheshire, England.

F/O. Arthur Roscoe. Alamein Memorial. Column 279. No further details - are you able to assist us?

Sgt. Joel Thomas Bamford. Alamein Memorial. Column 280. Borm on the 20th May 1923. No further details - are you able to assist us?

Sgt. Leonard Brough. Alamein Memorial. Column 280. Son of Richard and Muriel Brough, of Hull, England.

Sgt. Charles Beagle. Alamein Memorial. Column 280. No further details - are you able to assist us?

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to Marjorie Ward and the family of Sgt. Joel Thomas Bamford, National Archives Kew. AIR-27-401-9/10

Other sources as quoted below:

KTY 19-04-2025

Explore related reports: 1944 Alamein Memorial Bomber Command Kelvin Youngs Middle East Theatre Missing Wellington
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Acknowledgements
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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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