Date: 31st July/1st August 1942
Unit: No. 24 O.T.U.
Type: Whitley V
Serial: Z9512
Code: -
Base: Honeybourne, Worcestershire
Location: ?
Pilot: Fl/Lt. Anthony William Thompson 109488 R.A.F.V.R. Age 31. P.O.W. (1)
Obs: P/O. Charles Leonard Szumlinski J/9916 R.C.A.F. Age 25. Killed
Air/Bmr: Fl/Sgt. Walter Vernard Donahue R/84823 R.C.A.F. Age ? Killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Eric Leonard Styles 761201 R.A.F.V.R. Age 33. Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Edward James Jones R/95236 R.C.A.F. Age 20. Killed (2)
(1) Fl/Lt. Anthony William Thompson P.O.W. - shot and killed 4th July 1944 (No further details - can you assist?)
(2) Jones Point on Rosenberry Lake was named after Sgt. Edward James Jones in 1995.
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off at 23.20 hrs from base R.A.F. Honeybourne, Worcestershire to bomb Düsseldorf. The raid in which 630 aircraft took part. ( 113 Lancasters, 70 Halifaxes, 61 Stirlings, 54 Hampden's and 24 Whitley's) The units used for this operation were from the training section and was the first raid on which over 100 Lancaster's were used.
900 tons of bombs were dropped - 453 buildings in Düsseldorf were destroyed, 15,000 damaged, 954 fires were started and 279 people were killed on the ground and a further 1,018 were injured. 12,053 lost their homes.
The raid cost the R.A.F. dearly with 29 aircraft lost with 92 group (O.T.U.) losing 11 of its 105 aircraft on this single raid.
Whitley Z9512 is thought to have been shot down by flak and crashed over the target area.
Sgt. Edward James Jones (Courtesy of Place of Honour - Canada)
We are working very closely with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Manitoba geographical names project and the Saskatchewan Tourism Parks, culture and sports department to show with the aid of Google maps where many of the WW2 Aviators are being remembered. If you are also able to assist by sending other information please "Contact Us". To see the Google map locations for others "Click Here"
Left: Malbork Commonwealth War Cemetery. Right: Reichswald Forest War Cemetery (C.W.G.C.)
Burial details:
Fl/Lt. Anthony William Thompson. Malbork Commonwealth War Cemetery 3.A.14
Son of Hannah Thompson, of Hammersmith, London.
P/O. Charles Leonard Szumlinski. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery 9.G.2.
Son of Kazimer and Stella Szumlinski, of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Fl/Sgt. Walter Vernard Donahue. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery 9.G.1.
No further information.
Fl/Sgt. Eric Leonard Styles. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery 9.G.3.
Son of Sydney and Sarah Styles; husband of F. M. Styles, of South Zeal, Devon.
Sgt. Edward James Jones. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery 9.F.18.
