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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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Bomber Command Crest
23.08.1945 16 Operational Training Unit Mosquito B.20 KB194 F/O. Proctor

Operation: Training

Date: 23rd August 1945 (Thursday)

Unit: No. 16 Operational Training Unit. 91 Group

Type: Mosquito B.20

Serial: KB194

Code: Not known

Base: RAF Barford St. John

Location: Great Rollright, Oxfordshire

Pilot: F/O. George Mansell Proctor DFC NZ/424519 RNZAF Age 22. Killed

Nav: F/O. Keith Leslie Kelly DFC NZ/4212723 RNZAF Age 20. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

These two crew members served in the same crew on at least 33 operational sorties whilst with 619 Squadron flying Lancasters. After that squadron disbanded they both went on to convert to the Mosquito at 16 OTU on the 18th June 1945.

Taking off at 20:46 hrs on a night cross country exercise from the satellite airfield of Upper Heyford - just 18 minutes later the aircraft broke up in the air and crashed at Heath From between Great Rollright and Hook Norton. Both crew being killed

Burial details:

F/O. George Mansell Proctor DFC. Oxford Cemetery (Botley) Plot H/3. Grave 105. Born on the 08th May 1923 at Dunedin, the son of George and Annie Proctor (née Mansell), of Caversham, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. A total of 985 flying hours logged and having completed some 34 operational sorties.

F/O. Keith Leslie Kelly DFC. Oxford Cemetery (Botley) Plot H/3. Grave 117. Born on the 28th January 1925 at Christchurch, the son of Douglas and Mary Bell Kelly (née Atkinson). A total of 600 flying hours logged and having completed some 36 operational sorties.

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to Jenifer Lemaire of New Zealand and her research work, also the research by Errol Martyn and his publications: “For Your Tomorrow Vols. 1-3”, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Weekly News of New Zealand. Grave photographs courtesy Stephen Potts. Other sources as quoted below:

Image Credit: George Proctor: Auckland Library Heritage Collection: 26 December 1945: AWNS19451226-26-1.

Image Credit: Keith Kelly: Auckland Library Heritage Collection: 3 October 1945: AWNS19451003-26-10.

JL/KTY 19.07.2019

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Acknowledgements
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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