Date: 12/13th May 1943
Unit: No. 51 Squadron
Type: Halifax II
Serial: DT685
Code: MH-A
Base: Snaith, Yorkshire
Location: Duisburg, Germany
Pilot: Fl/Sgt. Norman Elsdon Jones 696955 R.A.F. Age 25. Killed
Fl/Eng: Sgt. Peter Colin William Rich 1283558 R.A.F.V.R. Age 23. Killed
Nav: Sgt. Kenneth Stewart Hobkirk 1091719 R.A.F.V.R. Age 20. Killed
Air/Bmr: Sgt. Eric Gregson Brown 1148680 R.A.F.V.R. Age 22. Killed
W/Op: Sgt. L. Wakenshaw 1084046 R.A.F.V.R. Age ? P.O.W. Stalag Luft Barth Vogelsang, Stalag Luft Heydekrug and Stalag Kopernikus
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Harry Goddard 1622398 R.A.F.V.R. Age 19. Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Peter Reginald James Blake 1338590 R.A.F.V.R. Age ? Killed
Relatives of 51 Squadron who would like us to put them into contact with the 51 Squadron Society please do not hesitate to contact us.
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off at 23.11hrs from Snaith joining 238 Lancasters, 141 other Halifaxes, 112 Wellingtons, 70 Stirlings and 10 Mosquitos. 572 aircraft in all. 34 aircraft were lost - 10 Lancasters, 10 Wellingtons, 9 Halifaxes and 5 Stirlings - 5.9% of the total force.
DT685 crashed in the Duisburg target area.
For details of the raid please see "HERE".
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery (Courtesy C.W.G.C.)
Burial details:
All the dead were originally buried in the Nordfriedhof, Düsseldorf, before being transfered to the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
Fl/Sgt. Jones - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Grave reference 5. A. 2.
Son of Jonathan and Gwladys Jones of Wrexham, Denbighshire. Assistant Surveyor.
Sgt. Rich - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Grave reference 5. A. 3.
Son of Colin and Phoebe Blanche Rich of Heston, Middlesex.
Sgt. Hobkirk - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Grave reference 5. A. 4.
Son of Isaac William and Mary Jane Hobkirk, of Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Sgt. Brown - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Grave reference 5. A. 5.
Son of Herbert Gregson Brown and Margaret Burton Brown of Lower Kingswood, Surrey.
Sgt. Goddard - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Grave reference 5. A. 6.
Son of Henry and Ethel Goddard of Sheffield.
Sgt. Blake - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Grave reference 5. A. 1.
Researched by our volunteer Jeremy Nicholson for the Aircrew Remembrance Society with assistance from 51 Squadron History Society.
Acknowledgments: With thanks to the following: Bill Chorley - "Bomber Command Losses", Martin Middlebrook "Bomber Command War Diaries". The superb work of the C.W.G.C.
