On 2 Dec 1944, 433 RCAF Squadron’s Handley Page Halifax (#MZ807), with an aircrew of seven, went missing over France following its night operation over Hagen, Germany. It had been hit and damaged by German flak and, upon attempting a landing it crashed near Willer-sur-Thur in France, taking the lives of six of its crew; the seventh member of the crew survived and evaded capture.
The six airmen who perished in this crash were-
RCAF Flying Officer John Edward GRANT,
RCAF Robert Howard SHIELLS,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant Walter Herbert COOK,
RCAF Flying Officer John Benjamin PITTMAN,
RCAF Pilot Officer Joseph William ASH and
RAFVR Sergeant Richard Eric AINSWORTH.
(The seventh airman, RCAF Lorne Albert MALLORY, who was seriously injured but survived the crash, was rescued and cared for by several families of Willer-sur-Thur. On 7 May 2006, Lorne A. Mallory was back at Willer-sur-Thur as the guest of honour for the unveiling of a commemorative stone; this two-ton stone monument, erected at the exact spot where Halifax MZ807 crashed on 2 Dec 1944, was dedicated to remembering the aircrew of seven that were brought down by German anti-aircraft fire near Willer-sur-Thur.)
Military Service:-
Rank: Sergeant
Trade: Flight Engineer
Service No: 3011067
Age: 19
Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Division: 433 RCAF Squadron; RAF Skipton-on-Swale in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire
(MOTTO: Qui S’y Frotte S’y Pique [“Who Opposes It Gets Hurt”])
Son of Arthur Walker Ainsworth and Evelyn Ainsworth.
The six airmen who perished in this crash were-
RCAF Flying Officer John Edward GRANT,
RCAF Robert Howard SHIELLS,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant Walter Herbert COOK,
RCAF Flying Officer John Benjamin PITTMAN,
RCAF Pilot Officer Joseph William ASH and
RAFVR Sergeant Richard Eric AINSWORTH.
(The seventh airman, RCAF Lorne Albert MALLORY, who was seriously injured but survived the crash, was rescued and cared for by several families of Willer-sur-Thur. On 7 May 2006, Lorne A. Mallory was back at Willer-sur-Thur as the guest of honour for the unveiling of a commemorative stone; this two-ton stone monument, erected at the exact spot where Halifax MZ807 crashed on 2 Dec 1944, was dedicated to remembering the aircrew of seven that were brought down by German anti-aircraft fire near Willer-sur-Thur.)
Military Service:-
Rank: Sergeant
Trade: Flight Engineer
Service No: 3011067
Age: 19
Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Division: 433 RCAF Squadron; RAF Skipton-on-Swale in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire
(MOTTO: Qui S’y Frotte S’y Pique [“Who Opposes It Gets Hurt”])
Son of Arthur Walker Ainsworth and Evelyn Ainsworth.
On 2 Dec 1944, 433 RCAF Squadron’s Handley Page Halifax (#MZ807), with an aircrew of seven, went missing over France following its night operation over Hagen, Germany. It had been hit and damaged by German flak and, upon attempting a landing it crashed near Willer-sur-Thur in France, taking the lives of six of its crew; the seventh member of the crew survived and evaded capture.
The six airmen who perished in this crash were-
RCAF Flying Officer John Edward GRANT,
RCAF Robert Howard SHIELLS,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant Walter Herbert COOK,
RCAF Flying Officer John Benjamin PITTMAN,
RCAF Pilot Officer Joseph William ASH and
RAFVR Sergeant Richard Eric AINSWORTH.
(The seventh airman, RCAF Lorne Albert MALLORY, who was seriously injured but survived the crash, was rescued and cared for by several families of Willer-sur-Thur. On 7 May 2006, Lorne A. Mallory was back at Willer-sur-Thur as the guest of honour for the unveiling of a commemorative stone; this two-ton stone monument, erected at the exact spot where Halifax MZ807 crashed on 2 Dec 1944, was dedicated to remembering the aircrew of seven that were brought down by German anti-aircraft fire near Willer-sur-Thur.)
Military Service:-
Rank: Sergeant
Trade: Flight Engineer
Service No: 3011067
Age: 19
Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Division: 433 RCAF Squadron; RAF Skipton-on-Swale in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire
(MOTTO: Qui S’y Frotte S’y Pique [“Who Opposes It Gets Hurt”])
Son of Arthur Walker Ainsworth and Evelyn Ainsworth.
The six airmen who perished in this crash were-
RCAF Flying Officer John Edward GRANT,
RCAF Robert Howard SHIELLS,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant Walter Herbert COOK,
RCAF Flying Officer John Benjamin PITTMAN,
RCAF Pilot Officer Joseph William ASH and
RAFVR Sergeant Richard Eric AINSWORTH.
(The seventh airman, RCAF Lorne Albert MALLORY, who was seriously injured but survived the crash, was rescued and cared for by several families of Willer-sur-Thur. On 7 May 2006, Lorne A. Mallory was back at Willer-sur-Thur as the guest of honour for the unveiling of a commemorative stone; this two-ton stone monument, erected at the exact spot where Halifax MZ807 crashed on 2 Dec 1944, was dedicated to remembering the aircrew of seven that were brought down by German anti-aircraft fire near Willer-sur-Thur.)
Military Service:-
Rank: Sergeant
Trade: Flight Engineer
Service No: 3011067
Age: 19
Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Division: 433 RCAF Squadron; RAF Skipton-on-Swale in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire
(MOTTO: Qui S’y Frotte S’y Pique [“Who Opposes It Gets Hurt”])
Son of Arthur Walker Ainsworth and Evelyn Ainsworth.
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