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Operation: Essen
Date: 03/04th July 1941 (Thursday/Friday)
Unit: No. 102 Squadron
Type: Whitley V
Serial: Z6573
Code: DY-?
Base: RAF Topcliffe, Yorkshire
Location: Crashed at Buscherhofe near Neuss-Kaarst
Pilot: Sq/Ldr. Oswald Robert Compton Moseley 37113 RAF Age ? Killed
Pilot 2: Sgt. Hilton William Fish R/68111 RCAF Age 21. Killed
Obs: P/O. Harold Harry Wells 85022 RAF Age 20. Killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Patrick Joseph William Ennis 911094 RAFVR Age 21. Killed (1)
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Robert Murray Milligan 976204 RAFVR Age ? Killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
Taking off at 23:14 hrs, joining some 69 Wellingtons and 29 Whitleys to Essen, attacking the Krupps armaments works and railway targets. 3 Wellingtons and 3 Whitleys lost. Returning crews reported that bombing was difficult because of thick cloud. Essen reports only light damage with two people injured, but many bombs fell on the towns of Bochum, Dortmund, Duisberg, Hagen, and Wuppertal as well as on other places".
Nachtjagd Combat Archives Part 1 1941 - Theo Boiten, reports a probable claim for this aircraft. The entry records that the aircraft was coned by 11-13/III/ Flak Regt 611, hit by 3/Res Flak Abt 407 and 1-3/Res Flak Abt 404. The aircraft crashed at Buscherhofe near Neuss-Kaarst.
102 Squadron Whitley at RAF Topcliffe.
102 Squadron lost two other aircraft during this operation:
Whitley P5014 - Flown by 20 year old, Sgt. Donald Fraser Gibson 927583 RAFVR of Muswell Hill, Middlesex England - Killed remaining 4 PoW.
Whitley T4330 - Flown by Sgt A. Davis RAFVR - all crew escaped unhurt after emergency landing on return.
Researched for the Wimbledon College Roll Of Honour - Aircrew Remembered have offered to provide basic information for the school records. Sgt. Patrick Ennis had been a former pupil.
(1) His older brother, 26 year old, Sq/Ldr. Anthony Stewart Reginald Ennis DSO. DFC. 104249 RAFVR, also killed whilst serving with the RAF.
Sq/Ldr. Oswald Robert Compton Moseley. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Coll. Grave 6.B.10-11. Son of Oswald Richard Moseley and Catherine Elizabeth (née Gregg). Husband of Irene Margaret Dauber.
Pilot 2: Sgt. Hilton William Fish. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Coll. Grave 6.B.10-11. Son of Leonard W. Fish and Veda E. Fish, of St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada.
Obs: P/O. Harold Harry Wells. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Coll. Grave 6.B.10-11. Son of Horace and Mary Annie Wells, of Windsor, Berkshire, England. Husband of Peggy Wells.
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Patrick Joseph William Ennis. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Grave 6.B.9. Son of Wing Cdr. Wilfrid Edmund Ennis and Maud Marie Ennis, of Edgware, Middlesex, England.
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Robert Murray Milligan. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Coll. Grave 6.B.10-11. No further details - are you able to assist?
Researched for the Wimbledon College Roll Of Honour. Thanks to John Jones for the Nachtjagd Combat Archives details. For further details our thanks to the sources shown below.
RS 16.11.2018 - Addition of Nachtjagd Combat Archives details
KTY 15.06.2015
RS 16.11.2018 - Addition of Nachtjagd Combat Archives details
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