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Operation: Koblenz, Germany
Date: 6th/7th November 1944 (Monday/Tuesday)
Unit No: 622 Squadron, 3 Group, Bomber Command
Type: Lancaster I
Serial: HK644
Code: GI:D
Base: RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk
Location: Target area - Koblenz.
Pilot: Fg Off. Roslyn Downs Leake 424422 RAAF Age 21. KiA
Flt Eng: Sgt. Terence Brendon O'Donnell 1652692 RAFVR Age 22. KiA
Nav: Sgt. Peter Edwin Bell 1606089 RAFVR Age 21. KiA
Bomb Aimer: Flt Sgt. John Daly Robertson 1565047 RAFVR Age 31. KiA
WOp/Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. Arthur Hoy 1670542 RAFVR Age 21. KiA
Air Gnr: Sgt. Robert Hunter 1826736 RAFVR Age 31. KiA
Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Fg Off. Harold Frederick Jones 54704 RAF Age 26. KiA
Air Gnr(Rear): Sgt. Ronald George Hawkes 1876684 RAFVR Age 20 KiA
We would like Helen Glen to contact us as her email address we have on file is no longer valid and we have been contacted by a former pilot who knew Ross Leake very well and would like to make contact with you
Crew photo, left to right, top: Fg Off. Leake, Sgt. O'Donnel, Sgt. Bell and Flt Sgt. Robertson; Lower: Flt Sgt. Hoy, Sgt. Hunter, Fg Off. Jones and Sgt. Hawkes (courtesy Ian Hossack)
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off at 16:66 hrs. from Mildenhall, Suffolk to attack Koblenz as part of a 128 Lancaster raid from 3 Group.
The night attack was classed as successful with most of the damage being done by fire damage in the centre of the city. 303 acres - 58% of the town's built up area destroyed. 104 people were killed on the ground made up from 89 civilians, 8 soldiers and 7 French and Italian prisoners of war.
Two Lancasters were lost on this raid, the other Lancaster from the same squadron HK621 GI:O crash landed in France with no fatalities. The force did not encounter any resistance from German night-fighters.
HK644 was Hit by 1./schw. Flak Abt. 444 (Eisb), 1.,2. & 4./schw. Flak Abt. 536 (Eisb) and 2. & 4./schw. Flak Abt. 227 (Eisb). The aircraft crashed at Moselweiss near Koblenz at 19:40. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (16 October 1944 - 31 December 1944) Part 5 - Theo Boiten))
Bill Jones described how the family obtained this original grave marker photo:
"I was going through old photographs that I had received from a late relative when I came across the attached photograph. I recall that twin boys from Aberystwyth were stationed in Germany during their national service in the late forties. Their mother was a friend of Harold's mother and she insisted that her boys make their way to Rheinberg to take a photograph of Harold's final resting place. I believe they had to travel some distance to achieve the object. A job well done!"
Above: Fg Off. Harold Frederick Jones and his grave - then and now (Courtesy Bill Jones)
Above: Sgt. Robert Hunter with his wife Mary on their wedding day 5th May 1944 and his grave - then and now (courtesy Ian Hossack)
Above: Fg Off. Roslyn Downs Leake original grave marker Centre: "The Letter" Right: Condolence letter
The letter sent by Wg Cdr. Buckingham never reached his father as he had died suddenly of a heart attack. Ross was alive at this point and extremely upset that he could not get home to attend his father's funeral or help with his mother.
Above Flt Sgt. Hoy - with letter and telegram sent to the family (courtesy Nigel Barton and family)
We have been in contact with the relatives of Fg Off. Roslyn Downs Leake and hope to have further information on this loss shortly. We would also like any other relatives to contact us regarding other crew members.
Burial details:
Above: Rheinberg War Cemetery - Register building (courtesy Bill Jones)
Fg Off. Roslyn Downs Leake. Rheinberg War Cemetery Grave 9.C.10. Grave Inscription: ‘LOVED ONLY SON OF CAPT. C.D. & MRS. E.M.LEAKE. PEACE, PERFECT PEACE’. Son of Clifton Downs Leake and Elsie Margaret Leake, of Manly, New South Wales, Australia.
Sgt. Terence Brendon O'Donnell. Rheinberg War Cemetery Grave 9.C.11. Grave Inscription: ‘ETERNAL REST GRANT UNTO HIM, O LORD; AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON HIM’. Son of James Benedict O'Donnell and Gwen Mary O'Donnell, of Ely, Cardiff, Wales.
Sgt. Peter Edwin Bell. Rheinberg War Cemetery Collective Grave 9.C.13-16. Grave Inscription: ‘YOU PASSED, THE GREAT SURRENDER MADE, UNTO THE LIGHT THAT NEVER MORE SHALL FADE’. Son of Percy Samuel and Winifred Jane Bell, of Portsmouth, England.
Flt Sgt. John Daly Robertson. Rheinberg War Cemetery Grave 9.C.12. Born on 10th January 1913 in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. Married Margaret Lewis of Stevenston, Ayrshire on 5th May 1944. She gave birth to a son James on 23rd January 1945.
Above: Flt Sgt. Arthur Hoy's grave at Rheinberg. Shells from Ballyholme, Bangor, Co Down where his sister (Jean) lives. (courtesy Nigel Barton and family)
Flt Sgt. Arthur Hoy. Rheinberg War Cemetery Collective Grave 9.C.13-16. Arty, as he was known by the family, was brother to Tommy, William (Billy) James, George, Alexander, Jean and Margaret (Peggy), from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
As a memorial to his death Flt Sgt. Hoy’s father made a table which was donated to West Kirk Presbyterian church, Shankill Road Belfast.
Sgt. Robert Hunter. Rheinberg War Cemetery Collective Grave 9.C.13-16. Grave Inscription: ‘SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED HUSBAND. "LOVE ONE ANOTHER"’. Son of Robert and Isabella Hunter, of Armadale, West Lothian, Scotland. Brother of Jessie Peden (née Hunter), husband of Mary (née Pennycook) Hunter of Armadale.
Fg Off. Harold Frederick Jones. Rheinberg War Cemetery Grave 9.C.9. Born on Thursday 7th March 1918, the son of Mrs. Amy Florence Jones of Aberystwyth, Gardiganshire, husband of Mrs. Iris Jones (née Morgan) of Nantymoel, Nr. Bridgend, Glamorgan, Wales.
Also remembered on the Cenotaph in Aberystwyth, the War Memorial in Nantymoel. His name was added to the latter at the insistence of his father-in-law.
Sgt. Ronald George Hawkes. Rheinberg War Cemetery Collective Grave 9.C.13-16. Grave Inscription: ‘DAY BY DAY OUR THOUGHTS WANDER TO THIS GRAVE SO FAR AWAY. LOVINGLY MUM AND DAD’. Son of Arthur George Harold and Mabel Charlotte Hawkes, of Pitsea, Essex, England.
Dedicated to all relatives of this crew. With thanks to Bill Jones (nephew) for information and photographs of Fg Off. Harold Jones. Thanks also to Ian Hossack for information and photos of Sgt. Robert Hunter. Ian's wife is the niece of Sgt. Robert Hunter and we hope to be able to add further information shortly. We have also been contacted by relatives of Flt Sgt. Hoy in May 2013 with new photographs added. April 2016 - relative of Flt Sgt. Robertson also contacted us with further information and grave photograph. Thanks to Colin Hoy, the nephew of Flt Sgt. Hoy for the update to his Next of Kin details (Oct 2018). Thanks to John Jones for the Loss information (Sep 2024)
Other sources listed below:
RS 02.09.2024 - Loss details added
KTY 01.04.2016 New photo added
RS 27.10.2018 - Update to Flt Sgt. Hoy's Next of Kin details
RS 02.09.2024 - Loss details added
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember
them. - Laurence
Binyon
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Last Modified: 02 September 2024, 09:10