Operation: Duisburg Germany

Date: 20/21st December 1942 (Sunday/Monday)

Unit: No. 103 Squadron (motto: Noli me tangere - 'Touch me not')

Type: Lancaster I

Serial: W4334

Code: PM-R

Base: RAF Elsham Wolds

Location: Graft-Driehuizen Holland

Pilot: W/O. II Louis Edmund Moriarty R/87814 RCAF Age 25. Killed

Fl/Eng: Sgt. Eric Airey 634671 RAF Age 23. Killed

Nav: Fl/Sgt. Peter Ernest Poulson 1250821 RAFVR Age 27. Killed

Nav/Air/Bmr: Sgt. Ronald Owen Eynon 655819 RAFVR Age 25. Killed

W/Op/Air: W/O. II James Hawthorne Love R/95024 RCAF Age 29. Killed (1)

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Thomas Bennett 1378737 RAFVR Age 34. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Alfred Ernest Brown 1027778 RAFVR Age 32. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 18:03 hrs from RAF Elsham Wolds to bomb the city of Duisburg together with some 232 aircraft - 111 Lancasters, 56 Halifaxes, 39 Wellingtons and 26 Stirlings.

Results of the operations were reported as good with considerable damage to the target.

Hit by 1 and 2/Res Flak Abt 242. Crashed in Eilandpolder near West Graftdijk 9km SSE of Alkmaar at 1935 hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archives The Early Years Part 3 - Theo Boiten). Remains were found during excavation in 1952. Bomb Load 2x HC 1.000 lbs, 12x90x4 lbs. Inc. 60x4 lbs.

(1) Love Creek which flows north east into Gowan River was named after W/O. II James Hawthorne Love in 1985.

Burial details:

W/O. II Louis Edmund Moriarty. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery. Collective grave 6. G. 2-4. From Toronto, Ontario, Canada - no further details - are you able to assist?

Sgt. Eric Airey. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery. Collective grave 6. G. 2-4. Son of Arkwright Airey, and stepson of Emily Thersa Airey, of Bolton, Bradford, Yorkshire, England. Grave inscription reads: "Rest In Peace".

Fl/Sgt. Peter Ernest Poulson. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery. Collective grave 6. G. 2-4. Son of Ernest Alfred and Ellen Poulson; husband of Joan Poulson, of New Eltham, London, England. Grave inscription reads: "God Has You In His Keeping, We Have You For Ever In Our Hearts"

Sgt. Ronald Owen Eynon. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery. Collective grave 6. G. 2-4. Son of William John and Myra Maud Eynon, of Cwmaman, Glamorgan, Wales.

W/O. II James Hawthorne Love. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery. Collective grave 6. G. 2-4. Son of William Herman Love and Mabel Love, of Dauphin, Manitoba. Grave inscription reads: "The Lord Is My Shepherd".

Fl/Sgt. Thomas Bennett. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery. Collective grave 6. G. 2-4. Son of Thomas and Rosa Howes Bennett. Grave inscription reads: "Much Loved. Sadly Missed By All".

Sgt. Alfred Ernest Brown. Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery. Collective grave 6. G. 2-4. Son of Alfred Ernest and Mary Jane Brown, of Wavertree, Liverpool, England; husband of May Brown. Grave inscription reads: "At The Going Down Of The Sun And In The Morning We Will Remember".

Researched for relatives of the crew by Michel Beckers - May 2019. Also to Peter Rutcher , Pam Summerfield and the Balfour family for photographs. Thanks to John Jones for the Theo Boiten details. Further details our thanks to the sources shown below: