115 Squadron's Avro Lancaster BI (#NN706), with an aircrew of seven, took off during the day-time from RAF Witchford for an air operation flight over the oil plant in Dortmund, Germany. Tragically NN706 collided over Germany in mid-air with 115 Squadron's Lancaster (#HK595): all the aircrew of both aircraft lost their lives.
The airmen of Lancaster NN706 who perished in this incident were-
RCAF Pilot Officer Kerry Milton CRAYSTON,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant John William DAVIDSON,
RAFVR Flying Officer Charles Douglas DOWSE,
RCAF Flying Officer Joseph Reginald DUNFORD,
RAF Sergeant Arthur Douglas Ward GILLIBRAND,
RCAF Pilot Officer Donald Nelson PAGE and
RAFVR Flying Officer James Henry POWNER.
[See Squadron Leader Hugh Wilfred CASTLE for the names of the nine airmen of Lancaster HK595 who also perished.}
Military Service-
Service Number: 572714
Rank: Sergeant
Trade: Flight Engineer
Age: 23
Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Division: 115 RAF Squadron; RAF Witchford, Cambridgeshire
Son of Douglas Edwin and Kathleen Margaret Gillibrand of Whitley Bay, Northumberland, England.
He is commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
115 Squadron's Avro Lancaster BI (#NN706), with an aircrew of seven, took off during the day-time from RAF Witchford for an air operation flight over the oil plant in Dortmund, Germany. Tragically NN706 collided over Germany in mid-air with 115 Squadron's Lancaster (#HK595): all the aircrew of both aircraft lost their lives.
The airmen of Lancaster NN706 who perished in this incident were-
RCAF Pilot Officer Kerry Milton CRAYSTON,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant John William DAVIDSON,
RAFVR Flying Officer Charles Douglas DOWSE,
RCAF Flying Officer Joseph Reginald DUNFORD,
RAF Sergeant Arthur Douglas Ward GILLIBRAND,
RCAF Pilot Officer Donald Nelson PAGE and
RAFVR Flying Officer James Henry POWNER.
[See Squadron Leader Hugh Wilfred CASTLE for the names of the nine airmen of Lancaster HK595 who also perished.}
Military Service-
Service Number: 572714
Rank: Sergeant
Trade: Flight Engineer
Age: 23
Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Division: 115 RAF Squadron; RAF Witchford, Cambridgeshire
Son of Douglas Edwin and Kathleen Margaret Gillibrand of Whitley Bay, Northumberland, England.
He is commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
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