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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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RAF Crest
05/06.08.1944 299 Squadron Stirling IV LJ878 5G:T Plt Off. Uru

Operation: Special Operations 'Ian 7'

Date: 5th/6th August 1944 (Saturday/Sunday)

Unit No: 299 Squadron, 38 Group

Type: Stirling IV

Serial: LJ878

Code: 5G:T

Base: RAF Keevil, Wiltshire

Location: Plougoumelen, France

Pilot: Plt Off. Henare Whakatau Uru 39589 RNZAF Age 23. KiA

Flt Eng: Sgt. Alfred Anthony Hull 1588979 RAFVR Age 20. KiA

Nav: WO. Robert Jack Braddock 416081 RNZAF Age 26. KiA

Bomb Aimer: Flt Sgt. Leonard Allan Eunson 410536 RAAF Age 24. KiA

WOp/Air Gnr: WOI. Walter Nelson Irving R112810 RCAF Age 26. KiA (1)

Air Gnr (Rear): WOII. Gordon Fletcher Harrison R112810 RCAF Age 24. KiA

Above crew of LJ878 (courtesy of Adrian Lea).

Standing left to right: WOI. Walter N. Irving, Plt Off. Henare W. Uru, Flt Sgt. Leonard A. Eunson, Sgt. Alfred A. Hull: Front left to right: Flt Sgt. Gordon F. Harrison, WO. Robert Jack Braddock

REASON FOR LOSS:

Three aircraft from the Squadron were detailed to drop several containers to the French Special Air Service and members of the French Resistance in the Baden area of France.


Above left to right: Plt Off. Uru and WO Braddock (Courtesy of Auckland Library Heritage Collection), Plt Off. Irving amd WO Harrison (Veteran Affairs, Canada)

LJ878 took-off from RAF Keevil in Wiltshire at 23:00 hrs. Two other aircraft from the Sqn were flown by Flt Lt. Taylor and Plt Off. Tevell.

LJ878 took-off from RAF Keevil in Wiltshire at 23:00 hrs. Two other aircraft from the Sqn were flown by Flt Lt. Taylor and Plt Off. Tevell.On arrival over the drop zone the aircraft circled looking for the rendezvous lights. The pilots of the two other aircraft saw LJ878 hit by anti-aircraft fire whilst at about 500 ft. and crashed into the village of Plougoumelen hitting several buildings and causing fires at around 00:45hrs. Sadly, in addition to the loss of all six crew members, three civilians on the ground also perished.

Memorial courtesy of M. Oleg Marin

It wasn't until later in 1945 that the full facts were established by No. 1 Missing Research Enquiry Unit and details submitted to the relatives of the crew. Over 1,000 local inhabitants attended the funeral for the crew and a full service was provided with the coffins covered in flowers.

The area was finally liberated by troops of the USA a few days later.

(1) Walter’s family were farmers in between Kerrobert and Saskatoon and he was one of 5 surviving brothers and 6 sisters.

His brothers, Pte. Anthony Claude Irving and Sgt. Nelson George Irving served in the Royal Canadian Army fighting across France and Germany. Both survived the war.

His parents had emigrated to Canada from Lancaster, Lancashire in 1905, where David had been a farmer and butcher. The family were very poor, scratching a living in Saskatchewan, and moved to British Colombia to escape that poverty, whilst Walter was young near New Westminster, British Colombia, where his parents remained, although Walter was living in nearby Port Coquitlam where he was working as a mechanic/driver for Paton Bros. & Co., a trucking company.

On the 5th September 1941 he enlisted in the RCAF, and trained as a Air Gunner/Radio Operator. He had previously made and application to join the RCAF in April 1940 but did not received a reply. He then served as a Pte in the 2nd Battalion, British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught’s Own), for 30 days between October and November 1940.

Walter married Mary Shimara, an Austrian-Canadian, in Winnipeg on the 1st August 1942 (presumably they met when he was doing his flight training, as she was a native of Manitoba), and they had a son in June 1943 (David Walter Irving), just months before Walter deployed to England. Mary would remarry after the war, and have 3 more children.

Burial details:

Plt Off. Henare Whakatau Uru. Plougoumelen Communal Cemetery. Collective grave. Born on the 21st February 1921. Son of Henare Whakatau Uru (New Zealand Politician) and of Gladys Constance May Uru (née Rogers), of Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand.

Henare who was from Oxford, Canterbury was of New Zealand Maori descent (Ngai Tahu). A total of 664 flying hours logged and on his 9th operational sortie.

Sgt. Alfred Anthony Hull. Plougoumelen Communal Cemetery. Collective grave. Born in 2nd Qtr of 1924 in Burnley, Lancashire. Son of Robert and Mary Winifred (née Gudgeon) Hull of Padiham, Lancashire, England.

WO. Robert Jack Braddock. Plougoumelen Communal Cemetery. Collective grave. Born on the 22nd February 1918. The son of Alfred and Annie Maud (née Whiteman) Braddock of Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand.

A total of 457 flying hours logged and on his 1st operational sortie.

Flt Sgt. Leonard Allan Eunson. Plougoumelen Communal Cemetery. Collective grave. Grave inscription reads: "WITH CHRIST WHICH IS FAR BETTER". Born on the 18th October 1919 at Northcote. Son of Frederick Charles and Mabel Kate Eunson, of Preston, Victoria, Australia.

Plt Off. Walter Nelson Irving. Plougoumelen Communal Cemetery. Collective grave. Born on the 6th February 1919 Kerrobert, Saskatchewan. Son of David and Mary Jane (née Close) Irving of New Westminster, British Columbia. Husband to Mary (née Shiumaro) Irving of Port New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.

WOI. Irving was posthumously promoted to J87928 Plt Off. with effect 13th July 1944

WOII, Gordon Fletcher Harrison. Plougoumelen Communal Cemetery. Collective grave. Born on the 28th September 1920 in Toronto, Ontario. Son of David and Hazel (née Lennon) Harrison of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Researched by Jenifer Lemaire for Aircrew Remembered (Jun 2019). Dedicated to the relatives of this pilot with thanks to the research by Errol Martyn and his publications: “For Your Tomorrow Vols. 1-3”, Auckland War Memorial Museum. Thanks to Adrian Lea for the information for Walter Nelson Irving and for the crew photograph provided by his great Uncle, Bill Irving (Nov 2024). Further detail added to the narrative by Aircrew Remembered (Nov 2024).

Other sources listed below:

RS 11.11.2024 - New photograph and updated to narrative

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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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