Hello everyone. This week we went by the Hannover War Cemetery. The grave we always go to visit is that of this man: André, Edmond Gabriel F. Ghislain Rank: Pilot Officer Trade: Air Gnr Service No: 188601 Date of Death: 7/12/1944 Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Service 227 Sqdn Grave Reference: Coll. grave 11.D. 11-19 Cemetery: Hannover Now I wanted to know something more about this. The number of the Lancaster he was on is 1PB646 9J-P. The date of death at the CWGC is different than the one on his headstone, so maybe a report of his squadron could shed some light. The things I already know is that the target was Giessen (?) and that the plane crashed N of Altenkirchen (five of those in Germany...). Can anyone help me a little further? Thanks Tim
Hi Tim, I presume you are referring to 6 December 1944 vs 7 December 1944 on P/O Andre's date of death? Go to naa.gov.au and enter "419604" in the search block. 63 page report on this loss, digitized and online. A bit of a mess to say the least. As I am reading this now I see a letter to Bendall's mother stating that it was not Andree's body found some distance from the wreckage but that of another crewman (someone named Martinez) from another aircraft lost on the same night. However, in the first three pages of the file there is all sorts of bureaucratic waffling as to what the next of kins will be told. To solve your mystery go to page 21 and Bendall's mother asks the RAAF if it was "P/O Andre's body which was found the next day some distance away?" Page 22 has the RAAF telling Bendall's father that "the bodies of your son and five crew members were recovered from the wreckage by the Germans and interred in a communal grave in the North West corner of the new cemetery at Altenkirchen. The body of the other member was found the following day near Oberlamp and buried in the local Cemetery" The crew was disinterred in 1947 and reburied where they lie today. As an aside, it was pretty sad to read that RCAF crewman Frederick Stratford's brother, George, was killed flying with 78 Squadron 19 July 1944. Two sons lost in the same year. Regards, Dave
6/7th December 1944 - 227sqdn RAF - Hanover War Cemetery, Germany. RAAF FATALITIES IN SECOND WORLD WAR AMONG RAAF PERSONNEL SERVING ON ATTACHMENT IN ROYAL AIR FORCE SQUADRONS AND SUPPORT UNITS 419604 Pilot Officer BENDALL, Jabez Kevin 424497 Warrant Officer WHITE, John Paterson Source: AWM 237 (65) NAA : A705, 166/5/842 Commonwealth War Graves records. W R Chorley : RAF Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, Page 504, Volume 1944. Aircraft Type: Lancaster Serial number: PB 646 Radio call sign: 9J – P Unit: ATTD 227 SQN RAF Summary: Lancaster PB646 took off from RAF Balderton at 1704 hours on the night of 6/7th December 1944, detailed to bomb Giessen, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. Crew: RAF FO London, R Captain (Pilot) † RAF Sgt H Monks, (Flight Engineer) † RCAF FO Stratford, F (Navigator) † RAAF 424497 WO J P White, (Air Bomber) † RAAF 419604 PO Bendall, J K (Wireless Air Gunner) † RAF PO Andre, E G F G (Mid Upper Gunner) † (of Belgium) Listed as 7th on CWGC RAF Sgt H S Martin, (Rear Gunner) † The aircraft crashed on 6th December 1944 and all the crew were killed. They are buried in the Hanover War Cemetery, Locality Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany. In Memory of Flying Officer Pilot Ronald London 150433, 227 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died on 06 December 1944 No NOK Listed Remembered with Honour Hanover War Cemetery In Memory of Sergeant Flt. Engr. Harry Monks 1505068, 227 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died on 06 December 1944 Age 22 Son of Henry and Cora Monks; husband of Ethel Monks, of West Gorton, Manchester. Remembered with Honour Hanover War Cemetery In Memory of Flying Officer Nav. Frederick Stratford J/29978, 227 (R.A.F.) Sqdn., Royal Canadian Air Force who died on 06 December 1944 Age 32 Son of Edward and Lucy Stratford (nee Atherton). Brother of Warrant Officer George Henry Stratford, Royal Air Force, killed in action 19 July 1944. Mrs. Lucy Stratford was former President of the Remembrance Association, Silver Cross Women of Canada, Wheat City Chapter, Brandon, Manitoba. Remembered with Honour Hanover War Cemetery In Memory of Warrant Officer John Paterson White 424497, Royal Australian Air Force who died on 06 December 1944 Age 21 Son of James and Mary White, of Roseville, New South Wales, Australia. Remembered with Honour Hanover War Cemetery In Memory of Pilot Officer Jabez Kevin Bendall 419604, Royal Australian Air Force who died on 06 December 1944 Age 24 Son of Thomas and Alicia Maud Bendall, of Essendon, Victoria, Australia. Remembered with Honour Hanover War Cemetery In Memory of Pilot Officer Air Gnr. Edmond Gabriel F. Ghislain Andre 188601, 227 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died on 07 December 1944 Of Belgium. No NOK Listed Remembered with Honour Hanover War Cemetery In Memory of Sergeant Air Gnr. Harold Sidney Martin 1649052, 227 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died on 06 December 1944 Age 34 Son of Sidney John and Rose Martin; husband of Irene Ethel Margaret Martin, of Orpington, Kent. Remembered with Honour Hanover War Cemetery
Wow that's great! Thanks very much for the info. Explains why the date of death is different. Thank you very much guys! Tim
Hi Geoff, http://198.103.49.2/eng/collections/virtualmem/detail/2101087 He was born 1 October 1912 so died aged 32. Regards, Dave
