207 Squadron Royal Air Force Association 49 Squadron & The Wesseling Raid 21/22 June 1944

49 Squadron Roll of Honour
The Wesseling Raid 21/22 June 1944

49 Sqn Lancaster I LL900 EA-T Op: Wesseling t/o 2317 Fiskerton - W/C M Crocker DFC & Bar
Outbound, shot down by a night-fighter and crashed in the general area of Julich-Mersch. All, including their British Broadcasting Correspondent, Kent Stevenson, are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery. Both DFM recipients had their awards published on 25 January 1946. It is believed P/O Creighton RCAF had recently arrived from 619 Squadron. The parents of W/C Crocker lived in Boston, Massachusetts.

Pilot W/C Malcolm Crocker DFC & Bar RAFVR age 27
F/E F/L Albert Edward Anderson Matthews DFC RAFVR age 30
Nav P/O Leslie Bernard Benson DFM RAFVR age 24
B/A F/O Kenneth Dutton RAFVR
W/Op F/O James Robert Worthington DFC RAFVR age 30
M/U P/O Allan David Creighton DFC RCAF age 26
R/G P/O David Hounsell Carr DFM RAFVR
War Correspondent Mr Kent Stevenson, BBC Reporter

49 Sqn Lancaster I ME675 EA-E Op: Wesseling t/o 2303 Fiskerton - F/L JR Hill.
Crashed near Lage Mierde (Noord-Brabant), a Dutch village close to the border with Belgium and roughly 23 km WSW from the centre of Eindhoven, where all are buried in Woensel General Cemetery. F/L Hill held a Bachelor of Science degree.

Pilot F/L John Rowland Hill RAFVR age 29
F/E Sgt George Frederick Witty RAFVR age 34
Nav F/O Kenneth Walton Jones RNZAF age 27
B/A Sgt David McFarlane Forsyth Bell RAFVR
W/Op Sgt Thomas Birtwhistle Whewell RAFVR age 21
M/U Sgt Thomas Albert Hall RAFVR age 23
R/G F/S George Frederick Wood RAFVR

49 Sqn Lancaster I ME808 EA-D Op: Wesseling t/o 2314 Fiskerton - S/L LE Cox.
Crashed at Loenhout in the province of Antwerpen, 24 km NNE from the centre of Antwerpen, where all are buried in Schoonselhof Cemetery. F/O Freckleton had served previously with 100 Squadron, while F/O Mather had flown with 97 Squadron, their awards being Gazetted on 19 October and 15 June 1943 respectively.

Pilot S/L Leonard Edgar Cox RAFVR age 30
F/E F/O John Herbert Ingram RAFVR age 29
Nav F/O James McGregor Freckleton DFM RAFVR
B/A F/O Mervyn James DFC RAFVR age 34
W/Op F/O William Mather DFM RAFVR
M/U F/O William Edward Day RAF age 25
R/G F/O Alfred Hambly RAFVR age 30

49 Sqn Lancaster III ND683 EA-K Op: Wesseling t/o 2311 Fiskerton - P/O AW Shinn DFC.
Crashed in the sea off the coast of Holland. Four bodies were later washed in by the tides and now rest in various Dutch cemeteries. Three others are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. P/O Shinn had been involved in a crash late in March while engaging on operations to Essen.

49 Sqn Lancaster III ND695 EA-B Op: Wesseling t/o 2318 Fiskerton - P/O AR Ross.
Lost without trace. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Pilot P/O Alexander Robert Ross RAFVR age 23
F/E Sgt Dennis William Palmer RAFVR age 23
Nav F/S Charles Gregory Morton RAFVR
B/A F/S Gordon Fraser MacGregor RCAF age 24
W/Op Sgt Clifford Charles Holden RAFVR age 31
M/U Sgt Arthur Desmond Griffin RAFVR
R/G Sgt Douglas William Edward Hardy RAF age 22

49 Sqn Lancaster III NE128 EA-J Op: Wesseling t/o 2322 Fiskerton - F/O LN Simpkin.
F/O Simpkin and Sgt Maton are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery.

Pilot F/O Leslie Norman Simpkin RAFVR age 24
F/E Sgt AH Ladkin pow
Nav F/S TAF Wilson pow
B/A WO2 EN O'Reilly RCAF pow
W/Op W/O RS Phillips RAAF pow
M/U Sgt W Watson pow
R/G Sgt James Alfred Thomas Maton RAFVR age 20