Operation: Mare de Magna

Date: 7/8th August 1944 (Monday/Tuesday)

Unit: No. 582 Squadron (motto: Praevolamus designates - 'We fly before marking'). 8 Group. Pathfinder

Type: Lancaster III

Serial: ND817

Code: 60-S

Base: RAF Little Staughton, Huntingdonshire

Location: St-Vigor-d'Ymonville, France.

Pilot: Sq/Ldr. Robert Wareing DFC. Bar. RAFVR Survived - injured PoW No: Not Known. Camp: Stalag Luft Barth Vogelsang

Fl/Eng: W/O. John 'Paddy' Tourans 1126191 RAFVR Survived - evaded capture.

Nav 1: Fl/Lt. Alan Faulkner Hill MiD. DFC. 123999 RAFVR Age 19. Survived - evaded capture.

Nav 2: Fl/Lt. Robert Vincent King Aus/414410 RAAF Survived PoW No: 5466. Camp: Stalag Luft Barth Vogelsang, Germany

Air/Bmr: W/O. Edwin James Hawker 1354388 RAFVR Age 24. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: F/O. Reginald William Blaydon DFM. 169133 RAFVR Age 29. Killed

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Robert George Campbell 1301496 RAFVR Age ? Killed

Air/Gnr: W/O. Wilfred Gaughran 640843 RAF Age 24. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Five positions were the target for 1,019 aircraft in the Normandy battle area in front of the allied ground troops. The operation was planned with the utmost care, resulting in 660 aircraft actually bombing the various targets. German strong points and roads were hit hard.

ND817 was shot down by Lt Frithjof Fensch of 4./NJG4 at 24.00 hrs, his 12th Abschuss and 2nd of the night. The aircraft coming down east of Le Havre. The report from the evader Fl/Lt. Hill states that time was 00.45 hrs. which is the closest time to the nightfighter claim on this operation. It is also described by Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie as aircraft coming down 20 km east of Le Havre which narrows the loss down to probably this aircraft.

Burial details:

W/O. Edwin James Hawker. St. Vigor-D'Ymonville Churchyard. Son of J. and Margaret Hawker, stepson of Mr. R. Day, of 108 Kingston Road, Merton, Surrey, England.

F/O. Reginald William Blaydon DFM. St. Vigor-D'Ymonville Churchyard. Born on the 04th December 1914. Son of Thomas and Florence Blaydon, of Sutton, Cambridgeshire, England. Sgt. Reginald William Blaydon was granted a short service Commission as a Pilot Officer 29th February 1944 and was awarded the DFM (Distinguished Flying Medal) as per London Gazette 11th August 1942. While serving with No. 9 Squadron in January 1941 Sgt. Blaydon one of the crew who made a forced landing in France (See Lancaster R1244)

Fl/Sgt. Robert George Campbell. St. Vigor-D'Ymonville Churchyard. Son of Mrs M. Campbell of 16, Ravenhill Crescent. Belfast Northern Ireland.

W/O. Wilfred Gaughran. St. Vigor-D'Ymonville Churchyard. Parents were John Gaughran (died 1931) And Mary Gaughran née Lloyd. Wilfred was born in 1920 Manchester (with thanks to Heather S. Gaughran)

Researched for relatives of the crew. With some information kindly submitted by Joe Pinguey who Uncle flew with some of this crew on earlier operations. A page of remembrance will also be built to his Uncle once we receive further details. Thanks also to Heather Gaughran who contacted us in January 2017 and September 2018. Kracker Archive, National Archives Kew, Nachtjagd Combat Archive (24 July 1944 - 15 October 1944) Part 4 - Theo Boiten), John Jones.

For further details see acknowledgements:

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