432 Squadron's Halifax VII (#RG-475) aircraft was one of about 160 aircraft that participated in a major air operation over Chemnitz, Germany on 5/6 March 1945. The Halifax took off from RAF East Moor in Yorkshire with eight air crew members aboard; after its successful operation in Germany, the aircraft was on its return flight back to its base in England when it was tragically shot down by 'friendly flak' from British Coastal Defence anti-aircraft guns. All eight airmen perished when the Halifax crashed north of Walton-on-Naze in Essex.
The casualties of that unfortunate accident were:-
RCAF Flight Lieutenant John George CLOTHIER,
RAFVR Pilot Officer Douglas Marvin COOKE,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant Glenn Royal HARRIS,
RCAF Flying Officer Colin Maxwell HAY,
RCAF Squadron Leader Edwin Alfred HAYES,
RCAF Pilot Officer Marius Bendt NIELSEN,
RCAF Pilot Officer Gilbert Melbourne ORSER and
RCAF Pilot Officer Dennis Joseph RINGROSE.
Military Service-
Rank: Pilot Officer
Trade: Air Gunner
Service Number: J/94381
Age: 19
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Division: 432 Leaside Squadron [MOTTO: Saevitir Ad Lucem ('Ferociously towards the light')]
An electrician by trade, residing in St. Jean, Quebec, Canada, he enlisted in the RCAF on 8 Sept 1943 in Montreal, Quebec.
Son of George Gilbert Orser and Annie C. (née Skinner) Orser of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Pilot Officer Gilbert Melbourne Orser is commemorated on Page 551 of Canada's Second World War Book of Remembrance.
He is also commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
In 1978 a special memorial was erected in Walton-on-the-Naze churchyard in Walton-on-the-Naze, a small town in Essex, England; this memorial is dedicated to the local men and women who served in the RAF and, in particular, to the eight airmen of 432 Squadron's Handley Page Halifax VII (#RG-475) aircraft, lost on 6 Mar 1945.
432 Squadron's Halifax VII (#RG-475) aircraft was one of about 160 aircraft that participated in a major air operation over Chemnitz, Germany on 5/6 March 1945. The Halifax took off from RAF East Moor in Yorkshire with eight air crew members aboard; after its successful operation in Germany, the aircraft was on its return flight back to its base in England when it was tragically shot down by 'friendly flak' from British Coastal Defence anti-aircraft guns. All eight airmen perished when the Halifax crashed north of Walton-on-Naze in Essex.
The casualties of that unfortunate accident were:-
RCAF Flight Lieutenant John George CLOTHIER,
RAFVR Pilot Officer Douglas Marvin COOKE,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant Glenn Royal HARRIS,
RCAF Flying Officer Colin Maxwell HAY,
RCAF Squadron Leader Edwin Alfred HAYES,
RCAF Pilot Officer Marius Bendt NIELSEN,
RCAF Pilot Officer Gilbert Melbourne ORSER and
RCAF Pilot Officer Dennis Joseph RINGROSE.
Military Service-
Rank: Pilot Officer
Trade: Air Gunner
Service Number: J/94381
Age: 19
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Division: 432 Leaside Squadron [MOTTO: Saevitir Ad Lucem ('Ferociously towards the light')]
An electrician by trade, residing in St. Jean, Quebec, Canada, he enlisted in the RCAF on 8 Sept 1943 in Montreal, Quebec.
Son of George Gilbert Orser and Annie C. (née Skinner) Orser of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Pilot Officer Gilbert Melbourne Orser is commemorated on Page 551 of Canada's Second World War Book of Remembrance.
He is also commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
In 1978 a special memorial was erected in Walton-on-the-Naze churchyard in Walton-on-the-Naze, a small town in Essex, England; this memorial is dedicated to the local men and women who served in the RAF and, in particular, to the eight airmen of 432 Squadron's Handley Page Halifax VII (#RG-475) aircraft, lost on 6 Mar 1945.
Inscription
(Epitaph...)
HE IS NOT DEAD,
HE IS JUST AWAY.
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