Operation: Anti-submarine Patrol

Date: 23rd March 1943 (Tuesday)

Unit No: 59 Squadron, Coastal Command

Type: Fortress IIA

Serial: FK209

Coded: J

Base: RAF Chivenor, North Devon

Location: Bay of Biscay

Pilot: Fg Off. Richard John Weatherhead J6992 RCAF Age 30. MiA

Pilot 2: Sgt. William James Arnold R106166 RCAF Age 20. MiA

Nav: Fg Off. William Christian Zapfe J7024 RCAF Age 21. MiA

Bomb Aimer: Sgt. Robert Albert Phillips 128609 RAFVR Age 31. MiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. George Cojocar R70533 RCAF Age 20. MiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. Clarence Lummis Copping R77233 RCAF Age 25. MiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. Frank Spino R75875 RCAF Age 26. MiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. Richard Glover Montgomery R106426 RCAF Age 26. MiA

Above FK209 Crew. Rear left to right: Sgt. W.J. Arnold, Sgt. R.G. Montgomery, Sgt. F. Spino, Flt Sgt. G. Cojocar. Front left to right front: Sgt. C.L. Copping, Fg Off. R.J. Weatherhead, Fg Off. W.S. Zapfe. There is no image for Sgt Phillips. The broken wheel to the rear of the photograph is the main element in the 59 Sqn Crest (credit: Robert Stitt)

REASON FOR LOSS

Took off on an anti U-boat patrol in the Bay of Biscay. On the return flight wireless message was received from the aircraft which stated that they were being attacked by enemy aircraft. This was the last communication heard from them.

Above: FK209 - B-17 Fortress IIA

Extensive search has been made of the area but no trace had been found of the aircraft or any of its crew.

The B-17 was claimed by Oblt. Hermann Horstmann of 13./KG 40 at 13:15 hours. His record shows that this claim was unconfirmed.

He had 10 claims of which 5 were unconfirmed. In his final encounter he claimed a Beaufighter whilst with I./ZG1. In this encounter his Ju88 was shot down which came down in the Bay of Biscay on the 12th December 1943.

Interesting in that Fg Off. Weatherhead, Fg Off. Zapfe, Sgt. Copping and Sgt. Spino were all interned in Portuguese Guinea on October 2nd 1942 when a 200 Squadron Hudson went down in bad weather. They all returned to United Kingdom on October 24th, 1942.

BURIAL DETAILS

Fg Off. Richard John Weatherhead. Runnymede Memorial. Panel. 175. Born on the 1st November 1912 in New Westminster, British Columbia. Son of John Christopher and of Florence Edith (née Glover) Weatherhead of Mission City, British Columbia, Canada.

WO2. William James Arnold. Runnymede Memorial. Panel. 179. Born on the 3rd October 1922 in Rainy River, Ontario. Son of Cunningham Harold and Ethel Winnifred (née Sheffield) Arnold, of Rainy River, Ontario, Canada.

Promoted to Warrant Officer Class (WO2) with effec the 22nd February 1943

Fg Off. Willard Christian Zapfe. Runnymede Memorial. Panel. 175. Born on 15th November 1915 in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. Son of William Peter and Mabel Anne (née Grey) Zapfe of Saskatoons, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Zapfe Island in Saskatchewan is named after Fg Off. Zapfe

Sgt. Robert Albert Phillips. Runnymede Memorial. Panel. 128. Son of Robert and Sarah Ellen of Bolton, Lancashire; husband of Margaret Fisher of Bolton, Lancashire, England.

Plt Off. George Cojocar. Runnymede Memorial. Panel. 175. Born on the 25th November 1921 in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan. Son of Dragos and Rosa (née Rosjutnick) Cojocar of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Appointed to a commission and promoted to J16374 Plt Off. with effect 7th January 1943

Cojocar Lake in Saskatchewan is named after Flt Sgt. Cojocar

WO2. Clarence Lummis Copping. Runnymede Memorial. Panel. 179. Born on the 18th December 1917 in Valcourt, Quebec. Son of William Carter and Isabella Gordon (née Lummis) Copping of Waterloo, Province of Quebec, Canada

Promoted to Warrant Officer Class (WO2) with effect 1st November 1942

WO2. Frank Spino. Runnymede Memorial. Panel. 180. Born on the 19th February 1917 in Hamilton, Ontario. Son of Mauro and Rose (née Sebastiano) Spino, of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Promoted to Warrant Officer Class (WO2) with effect 1st November 1942

Spino Lake in northern Ontario is named after Sgt. Spino

WO2. Richard Glover Montgomery. Runnymede Memorial. Panel. 180. Born on the 8th March 1916 Montreal, Quebec. Oldest son of Andrew Emerson and Nina (née Glover) Montgomery, Outremont, Quebec, Canada.

Promoted to Warrant Officer Class (WO2) with effect 5th March 1943

With many thanks to Robert Stitt for his wealth of research and assistance with this page of remembrance and others that we are currently working on. Research dedicated to Marian McKiernn, Herb Montgomery, Judith Copping and all the relatives of the crew. Thanks to Robert Stitt for the replacement photograph of the crew and clarification of their identification (Nov 2021). Other updates by Aircrew Remembered (Nov 2021).

Other sources listed below:

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