Operation: Gardening, Friesian Islands

Date: 22nd/23rd April 1942 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit No: 408 (Goose) Sqn, RCAF, 4 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Hampden I

Serial: AE237

Code: EQ:X

Base: RAF Balderton, Nottinghamshire

Location: Sea NW of Ameland, Netherlands

Pilot: Sgt. Allan James Macgregor 41920 RNZAF Age 22. MiA (1)

Observer: Flt Sgt. Robert Edwin Wilson R67917 RCAF Age 26. MiA (2)

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. Edwin Arthur Corderoy 1255811 RAFVR Age 21. MiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. John Haliburton Daughney R77327 RCAF Age 22. MiA (3)

Above: Sgt. Allan James Macgregor (Courtesy of the Auckland Museum Online Cenotaph)

REASON FOR LOSS

On the night of the 22nd/23rd April 1942 AE237 joined a force of sixty-five (65) aircraft detailed to lay magnetic mines off the German and Danish coastline.

AE237 was the only aircraft that failed to return after the operation and was claimed by Ofw. Paul Gildner, his 32nd Abschuss from 5./NJG2 over the sea NW of Ameland at 00:07 hrs. (Ref 1, p110).

Oblt. Gildner was killed on the night of the 29th/30th December 1943 at Bindersleben during a Night-Fighter sortie. He was credited with 43 confirmed Abschüsse, 2 of which were day time Abschüsse (Ref 2, p32).

(1) This was Sgt. Macgregor’s 5th Operation with 254 hrs in total overall.

(2) Flt Sgt. Wilson had two brother’s both of whom served with the RCAF:

Flt Lt. Maxwell Clare ‘Max’ Wilson J7748 RCAF Age 26. He was the Pilot aboard 426 (Thunderbird) Sqn, RCAF, Lancaster II LL721 which was shot down by a German night-fighter on an operation to Berlin, Germany on the night of 27th/28th January 1944. He and two (2) of his crew became PoWs, three (3) KiA and one (1) MiA;

Flt Lt. William Laurel Wilson C12659 RCAF age 36. He was a passenger aboard 168 (Heavy Transport) Squadron, Fortress IIA #9203 which was posted missing on the 15th December 1944 whilst on a routine flight from Rabat Sale, Morocco to RCAF Station Rockliffe, Canada with a planned stop at Lagens in the Azores. The five (5) crew and (3) three passengers are all commemorated on the Ottawa War Memorial.

(3) Flt Sgt. Daughney’s elder brother, Maj. Ralph Herman Daughney, was serving in the 1st Battalion, North Shore (New Brunswick) Infantry Regiment (Canadian Active Service Force (CASF)). He was KiA in Calvados, France on the 10th August 1944.

Note: On the 10th August 1944, Canadian forces were actively involved in the Normandy campaign, focusing on the Calvados region. Their operations were part of a broader strategy to secure the area around Caen, which was crucial for the Allied advance. They had already suffered significant casualties but continued to push forward, contributing to the overall Allied strategy of encircling German forces in Normandy. The Canadian forces played a crucial role in the liberation of northern France during this period.

Maj. Daughney was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) (London Gazette 31st August 1944).

Burial details:

Above: The Runnymede Memorial (Courtesy of the CWGC)

Sgt. Allan James Macgregor. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 117. Born on the 3rd June 1919 in Invercargiil, Southland. Son of William James and Evelyn Macgregor of Invercargiil, Southland, New Zealand.

Flt Sgt. Robert Edwin Wilson. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 107. Born on the 5th November 1915 in Petrolia, Ontario. Son of William B. and Cora Wilson of Petrolia, Ontario. Husband of Marion Christine (née Thain) Wilson of Chatham, Ontario, Canada.

Sgt. Edwin Arthur Corderoy. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 80. Birth Registered in the 1st Qtr of 1921 in Hackney, Greater London. Son of Henry and Dorothy Edith (née Mair) Corderoy of Kenton, Middlesex, England.

Flt Sgt. John Haliburton Daughney. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 103. Born on the 14th March 1922 in Newcastle, New Brunswick. Son of Frank Edward and Mary Louisa (née MacKay) Daughney of Dalhousie, Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the crew and their relatives (Aug 2026).

References:

1. Nachtjagd Combat Archive (13 July 1941 - 29 May 1942) The Early Years Part 2 - Theo Boiten.
2. Nachtjagd Combat Archive - Biographies - Theo Boiten.

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