LL643 Crew: From left to right: Robert Rolph, Derek Flitton , Bill Griggs , Bill Weis , Ralph Lowrey, John Inverarity and Herbert Hugill. Taken beside a Lanc Mk II . (Courtesy of Mrs Edna Hugill,  Nancy Aydon and Barbara Weis)

LL643 Crew left to right top: F/Lt. Weis, P/O. Inverarity, P/O. Hugill, Fl/Sgt. Flitton
Bottom: Fl/Sgt. Griggs, Sgt. Lowrey, P/O. Skingle, F/O. Rolph (Courtesy Jimmie Dunn, Laurent Viton)

Diary of events post loss:

The following excerpts are from letters on the Personal Files of RCAF members of the crew. Files for R.A.F. personnel are not available in Canada and unfortunately access to such files in the UK is unnecessarily restrictive. (Essentially immediate family).

June 8th 1944 - Wing Commander R. A. Mclernon letter of June 10th 1944:
The crew of Lancaster LL643 were reported as missing from Operations over Acheres Railway Junction France on the night of 7/8th June 1944.

June 10th 1944 - Wing Commander R. A. Mclernon letter of June 10th 1944:
Item 3: All necessary action has been taken and next of kin residing in Great Britain have been advised.

June 12th 1944 - Wing Commander R. A. Mclernon letter of June 12th 1944 to Mrs. Weis. Copy Mr. H. W. Weis:
Before you receive this letter, you will have received a telegram informing you that your son C/1651 Flight Lieutenant Joseph William Weis has been reported missing from air operations. The Air Ministry, Casualties Branch, will furnish you with any further news received concerning you son.

May 25th 1945 - Chief of Air Staff A.M.R. Leckie letter of May 25th1945 to Mrs H. J. Rolph:
I have learned with deep regret that your son, Flying Officer Robert Harold Rolph, is now for official purposes presumed to have died on Active Service Overseas on June 8th 1944. I wish to offer you and the members of your family my sincere and heartfelt sympathy.

August 16th 1945 - R.C.A.F. Casualty Officer letter for the Chief of the Air Staff, of August 16th 1945 to Mrs. B. F. Skingle:
I wish to acknowledge your letter of August 8 concerning your son, Pilot Officer Douglas David Skingle. It is indeed regretted that despite the continued and persistent efforts, no trace of your son has, as yet been found, I wish to assure you that action to presume his death is for official purposes only and will not diminish or affect in any way, the effort being made to locate him.
Some information is available concerning a great many aircraft which crashed or were shot down in Continental Europe when practically all of it was occupied by the enemy and every possible effort on an organised basis is being put forth to secure all information available. Where no reports have been received of the existence of graves it is the function of the Royal Air Force and Dominion Air Force Missing Research Enquiry Service, which has been organised for the purpose of research and enquiry in liberated territories into the circumstances of aircrews reported as casualties, to commence a thorough investigation. This Service will also endeavour to obtain additional information to supplement that already received. It is now operating and will continue to conduct a systematic research on a chronological basis.
The civilian population in these areas is being contacted by Radio and Press and Proclamations through the various civic authorities to centralise, through this Service, any information or concrete evidence they may have about Air Force personnel or crashed aircraft. Similar instructions have been issued to all Service personnel engaged in those areas and you may rest assured that immediately any further word about your son you will at once be advised. May I again extend to you and members of your family my most sincere sympathy in this long and anxious period of waiting.

May 21st 1948 - S. L. Baker letter for the Air Ministry letter dated 21 May 1948:
“As no news has ever been received from any other source whatsoever …….. and no human remains were recovered for burial all eight members of the crew will now be recorded as having no known grave and will be commemorated on the memorial to the missing.”

November 17th 1949 - R.C.A.F. Casualty Officer, W/C W. R. Gunn letter for Chief of the Air Staff, dated November 17th 1949 to Mr. B. F. Skingle:
It is with regret that I refer to the loss of your son, Pilot Officer Douglas David Skingle, who lost his life on air operations against the enemy on June 8th 1944, but a report has been received from our Missing Research and Enquiry Service concerning your son and members of his crew.
Actually, there was very little wreckage left, the bomb load having exploded. The keeper of the of the forest stated that the crash was of such a severe nature that no remains were recovered.
Unhappily, owing to the extreme hazards which accompanied air operations, there are many thousands of British aircrew boys who, like your son, do not have ‘Known’ graves and their memories will be commemorated on general memorials................. Further announcement concerning these memorials will be made at a later date.

Air Ministry crash investigation reports 1947 - 1948 - 1949 and excavation work see here.

Weis Operations 1944 see here.

The crew of LL643 taken we understand in late 1943 with another pilot and bomb aimer - Left to right: P/O. Hugill, P/O. Inverarity, Fl/Sgt. Griggs, Sgt. Lowrey, Nobby Clarke, F/O. Rolph, Ronald Williams. (thanks to Laurent Viton and Richard Koval for this latest information) Picture taken during August 1943 whilst crew being formed.


P/O. Doug Skingle when he flew with another crew seen here with W/O Bill Wade (Photo courtesy of Canadian Forces Photo Unit)


P/O Skingle shown in the middle here with his normal regular crew. (Photograph kindly supplied by Jimmie Dunn)

Burial details:

None: All eight members of the crew are recorded as having no known grave.
Their Death are recorded in Commonwealth War Graves Commission Records and all are Remembered and Commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial to the Missing:
F/Lt. Joseph William Weis. Panel No: 244
Son of Herman William and Adela Grace Weis, of King, Ontario, Canada.
P/O. John Alexander Inverarity. Panel No: 250
Son of James and Christina Inverarity, husband of Ethel I. Inverarity, of Lucky Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada.
P/O. Herbert Hugill. Panel No: 211
Son of Albert and Nellie Hugill, of Middleton St. George, Co. Durham.
Fl/Sgt. Derek Noel Flitton. Panel No: 217
Son of Harry Joseph and Violet Isobel Flitton; husband of May Flitton, of St. Bride's, Monmouthshire
Fl/Sgt. Raymond William Griggs. Panel No: 211
CWGC Records show no age and no next of kin and no additional information. (1)
Sgt. Ralph William Lowrey. Panel No: 211
CWGC Records show no age and no next of kin and no additional information. (2)
P/O. Douglas David Skingle. Panel No: 253
Son of Basil Francis and Nellie Skingle, of Humber Bay, Ontario, Canada
F/O. Robert Harold Rolph. Panel No: 248
Son of Harold J and Dorothy L Rolph, of Cobourg, Ontario, Canada

(1) Believe birth is registered in the March Quarter 1922 Births, Griggs Raymond W. Mothers Maiden Surname Raymond, Croydon District, Vol. 2a, Page 759. Flight Sergeant Griggs. First Given Name Raymond and Mothers Surname Raymond.

(2) Birth "maybe" registered in the December Quarter 1919 Births, Lowrey Ralph W. Rothbury District Vol.10b, Page 1117.

The Aircrew Remembrance Society are indebted to the great research of George McKillop (Canada), Jimmie Dun, Laurent Viton (France), Mrs Edna Hugill, Nancy Aydon and Barbara Weis. Also many thanks to Richard Flagg (Airfields & Aviation memorials) for the photo's of the 408 memorial and also to the Canadian Forces Photo Unit for the photo of Doug Skingle, Tanky Harrison for providing us with some information and many photographs.

Memorial to 408 and 426 Squadron at R.A.F. Linton-On-Ouse, Yorkshire. (Courtesy Richard Flagg)     



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