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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
31/01.08.1942 No. 16 OTU Wellington Ic DV736 F2 Fl/Sgt. Vickers

Operation: Düsseldord

Date: 31st/01st August 1942 (Friday/Saturday)

Unit: No. 16 Operational Training Unit. 92 Group

Type: Wellington IC

Serial: DV736

Code: F2

Base: RAF Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire

Location: Dilsen-Stokkem, Belgium

Pilot: Fl/Sgt. Edgar Henry Vickers AUS/403153 RAAF Age 23. Killed

Pilot: Fl/Sgt. Rodney David Gibson R/68762 RCAF Age 23. Killed

Obs: Fl/Sgt. Thomas James Armstrong R/77407 RCAF Age 24. Killed

Air/Bmr: Sgt. Norman Alfred Long 656328 RAF Age 29. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Francis Perrie George Moore NZ/404085 RNZAF Age 24. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. George Redhead 940304 RAFVR Age 22. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 23:39 hrs with a bomb load of 24 x 30 lb. and 270 4 lb. incendiary bombs. 630 aircraft taking part in this operation - 31 were lost!

Intercepted at 01:45 hrs by Hptm. Siegfried Wandam of 3./NJG1 with the Wellington crashing at 02:15 hrs at Dilsen-Stokkem - all the crew were killed.

Left: Hptm. Siegfried Wandam

This was the 4th claim by Wandam who went on to claim a total of 10 before he was killed on the 04th July 1943. (information courtesy of the Kracker Archive on this website.



Burial details:

Crew initially buried at Brustern near Sint Truiden but reinterred after the end of the war.

Fl/Sgt. Edgar Henry Vickers. Heverlee War Cemetery. Grave 3.B.10. Born on the 12th September 1918 at Singleton, the son of Arthur Edgar and Emily Morison Vickers, of Big Ridge, Singleton, New South Wales, Australia. Prior to service worked as a dairy farmer. Enlisted on the 09th December 1940. Grave inscription: "He Died For Freedom. Ever Remembered At Home".

Fl/Sgt. Rodney David Gibson. Heverlee War Cemetery. Grave 3.B.11. Son of Thomas E. and Helen Gibson, of Kenora Ontario, Canada. Enlisted in November 1940. Grave inscription: "Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You".

Fl/Sgt. Thomas James Armstrong. Heverlee War Cemetery. Grave 3.B.8. Son of W. Fredrick and Barbara I. Armstrong and husband of Mary Vivian Armstrong, of Nevada Valley, Inverness Co., Nova Scotia, Canada. Grave inscription: "Eternal Rest Give Unto Him, O Lord; And Let Perpetual Light Shine Upon Him".

Sgt. Norman Alfred Long. Heverlee War Cemetery. Grave 3.B.9. Son of Charles and Florence Madeline Long and husband of Rachel Long, of Fulham, London, England. Grave inscription: "Greater Love Hath No Man Than This".

Sgt. Francis Perrie George Moore. Heverlee War Cemetery. Grave 3.B.6. Born on the 12th January 1918 at Waverley, the son of Alfred and Abigail Olive Moore, of Tangarakau, Taranaki, New Zealand. Prior to service worked as a platelayer/motor driver. A total of 73 flying hours logged and on his 02nd operational sortie.

Air/Gnr: Sgt. George Redhead. Heverlee War Cemetery. Grave 3.B.7. Son of William Henry George and Ruth Redhead, of Kennington, Kent, England. Grave inscription: Tell England, Ye Who Pass This Monument, We Died For Her And Here We Rest Content"

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this pilot with thanks to Jenifer Lemaire and to the research by Errol Martyn and his publications: “For Your Tomorrow Vols. 1-3”, Auckland Library Heritage Collection, Weekly News of New Zealand, other sources as quoted below:

KTY 25.10.2019

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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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