Danny42C and pompax especially-
After a lengthy sojourn in southern Spain for our Spring vacation, we're now back home and catching up on this wonderful thread I note Posts 5735 referring to Dannys friend, Ronnie Sweetlove.
I obviously rushed my response at that time, but have since revisited my information.
Firstly, the Additional Information is provided by the family of the deceased in a Final Verification Form sent out by the CWGC prior to entering the details on the cemetery register and once digitised onto the CWGC Debt of Honour database.
Therefore that's how the family wanted the Additional Details presented.
On CWGC records that do not contain Additional Information, that is because no FVF was returned, either by choice or due to being unable to locate a correct address for the surviving family (not uncommon when blown out of home by Blitz or doodlebugs).
What caused me to review the information was the Grave information for S/Ldr McKinnon...
Collective Grave 9-19.....
We all understand that at times it would be impossible to correctly identify the crew remains in a totally destroyed bomber, especially with a full bomb load, but a Collective Grave with 11 bodies???? A typical crew would be 7 (or 8 if carrying a specialist to jam night fighter frequencies). Occasionally there may be a second dickie with a new pilot flying with an experienced crew, or official photographer etc, but ELEVEN?
Further examination shows that these graves contain members from THREE different Squadrons, 6 from 44 Squadron; Sweetlove, Grimshaw, McKinnon and Jenkinson from 100 Squadron and a Sgt Thomas Arthur Bird from 101 Squadron. All were RAF/RAFVR except for McKinnon with a much darker blue uniform.
Often, that aids identification (or at least separation) from RAF crew as usually "something" of the uniform survives even catastrophic fire.
I can accept that a midair collision may have occurred resulting in the wreckage of two aircraft being found together and thus identifying who was on what aircraft hard to resolve, but THREE different Squadrons?
In addition, it appears that some of the 100 Sqaudron crew were able to bale out or were in a separate part and identified individually.
In December 1942 100 Squadron reformed at RAF Waltham (Grimsby). The squadron was allocated 16 Lancaster Mk IIIs The first operational sortie took place on March 4th 1943, with a mine laying (gardening) operation to St. Nazaire, losing its first two aircraft on this raid. ED559 crashed in the target area, and ED549 crashed at Langar Airfield in Nottinghamshire whilst trying to land.
100 Squadron dropped a total of 18,108 tons of bombs in 3,984 individual sorties. The squadron lost 113 Lancasters during the War, costing the lives of 593 young men.
CHAPPELL, STANLEY FREDERICK WALTER. Rank: Sergeant. Trade: Flt. Engr. Service No: 625153. Date of Death: 08/04/1943.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force. 100 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: 2. E. 7. Cemetery: RHEINBERG WAR CEMETERY
GRIMSHAW, CYRIL JAMES. Rank: Sergeant. Trade: Air Gnr. Service No: 649407. Date of Death: 08/04/1943.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force. 100 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: Coll. grave 2. E. 9-19. Cemetery: RHEINBERG WAR CEMETERY.
JENKINSON, HARRY. Rank: Sergeant. Trade: W.Op./Air Gnr. Service No: 1025847. Date of Death: 08/04/1943. Age: 22.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 100 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: Coll. grave 2. E. 9-19. Cemetery: RHEINBERG WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Alan Patrick and Edith Jenkinson, of Coventry.
KNOWLES, MAURICE HENRY. Rank: Sergeant. Service No: 1575223. Date of Death: 08/04/1943. Age: 20.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 100 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: 2. E. 8. Cemetery: RHEINBERG WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Charles Shirley Knowles and Mary Elizabeth Knowles, of Leicester.
McKINNON, JOHN ARNOTT. Rank: Squadron Leader. Trade: Pilot. Service No: J/4965. Date of Death: 08/04/1943. Age: 27.
Regiment/Service: Royal Canadian Air Force. 100 (R.A.F.) Sqdn
Grave Reference: Coll. grave 2. E. 9-19. Cemetery: RHEINBERG WAR CEMETERY.
Additional Information: Son of John Donald and Ruth Rebecca McKinnon, of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.
MONTIGUE, RICHARD JAMES BRUCE. Rank: Sergeant. Trade: Nav. Service No: 1331520. Date of Death: 08/04/1943. Age: 20.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 100 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: 2. E. 6. Cemetery: RHEINBERG WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Laurence Herbert and Julia Mary Montigue, of Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.
SWEETLOVE, RONALD SPENCER. Rank: Sergeant. Trade: Obs. Service No: 1029829. Date of Death: 08/04/1943.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 100 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: Coll. grave 2. E. 9-19. Cemetery: RHEINBERG WAR CEMETERY.
I'll see if I can identify Ronnies Lancaster and anything else, but please feel free to comment if a plausible explanation occurs to anyone...
EDIT: After a bit of rooting around, I believe they were the crew of Lanc III ED568 coded "T" fitted with Mandrel and Gee. Take off at 21:30 from Grimsby headed for Duisburg. Bomb load all incendiaries; 30 x 4 lb X type incendiaries, 48 x 30 lb incendiaries and 510 x 4 lb incendiaries.
McKinnon was pilot; Montigue - Nav; Sweetlove - B/Aimer; Jenkinson W/Op; Chappell - F/Eng; Knowles M/U/G and Grimshaw R/G.
Loss card shows shot down and 4 identified. "Rae M" and others buried on 14 April in Munchen Gladbach.
Presumably other returning aircraft made the "shot down" report, unless the notation is post War from German night fighter records.......
That precludes a mid air if the aircraft was known to have been shot down.
Last edited by Icare9; 7th Jun 2014 at 08:59.