98 Squadron's North American B25 Mitchell II (#FW188) aircraft, VO-B 'Beer', took off from RAF Dunsfold on an air operation over the attack guns which were positioned at Boulogne. On the return flight back to Surrey and over the English Channel, FW188's aircrew tried, without success, to jettison one bomb which had failed to drop and was 'hung up' in the aircraft's bomb bay. While the crew attempted to softly land at Dunsfold, the bomb broke free, dropped to the runway and exploded. Three crew members lost their lives in the blast; the wireless operator, seriously injured and burned, died several hours later; and a groundcrew airman, Sergeant A. Jones, fatally struck by flying metal from the Mitchell aircraft, also lost his life.
The airmen who perished in this terrible accident were-
RCAF Pilot Officer George CHURCHARD,
RCAF Flying Officer Russell David DURLING,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant Robert Fraser LOGIE,
RCAF Flying Officer Denis Llewellyn LOVERIDGE and
RAF Sergeant Albert Coulthurst JONES.
Military Service-
Rank: Sergeant
Trade: Fitter (groundcrew)
Service Number: 614839
Age: 37
Service: Royal Air Force
Son of John Thomas Jones and Lydia Naomi Jones; husband of Florence Jones of Small Heath, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.
He is commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
98 Squadron's North American B25 Mitchell II (#FW188) aircraft, VO-B 'Beer', took off from RAF Dunsfold on an air operation over the attack guns which were positioned at Boulogne. On the return flight back to Surrey and over the English Channel, FW188's aircrew tried, without success, to jettison one bomb which had failed to drop and was 'hung up' in the aircraft's bomb bay. While the crew attempted to softly land at Dunsfold, the bomb broke free, dropped to the runway and exploded. Three crew members lost their lives in the blast; the wireless operator, seriously injured and burned, died several hours later; and a groundcrew airman, Sergeant A. Jones, fatally struck by flying metal from the Mitchell aircraft, also lost his life.
The airmen who perished in this terrible accident were-
RCAF Pilot Officer George CHURCHARD,
RCAF Flying Officer Russell David DURLING,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant Robert Fraser LOGIE,
RCAF Flying Officer Denis Llewellyn LOVERIDGE and
RAF Sergeant Albert Coulthurst JONES.
Military Service-
Rank: Sergeant
Trade: Fitter (groundcrew)
Service Number: 614839
Age: 37
Service: Royal Air Force
Son of John Thomas Jones and Lydia Naomi Jones; husband of Florence Jones of Small Heath, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.
He is commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Inscription
(Epitaph...)
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
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