Date:	Friday 10 April 1942
Time:	23:43 LT
Type:	Handley Page Halifax Mk II
Owner/operator:	76 Sqn RAF
Registration:	R9484
MSN:	MP-G
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:	7
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Oer-Erkenschwick, Nordrhein-Westfalen -   Germany
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Middleton St. George, Durham
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Halifax II R9484 "MP-G" of 76 Squadron, RAF. Bomb raid to Essen, The crew left RAF Middleton St George at 21:02 hours for a bombing operation to Essen in Nordrhein-Westfalen. While overflying Germany, the aircraft was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in a field at Oer-Erkenschwick, 3 miles North East of Recklinghausen, Nord-Rhine-Westphalia, approximately 12 miles north west of Dortmund, Germany. All seven crew members (six RAF, one RAAF) were killed. Seven civilians on the ground were also killed, probably by bombs missing their intended target. All the crew were killed and they are buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Locality Kleve, Nordheim-Westfalen, Germany. The cemetery is 5km south west of Kleve.

Crew:
Pilot: 1255089 Flt Sgt Hewart Joseph Lambeth - Reichswald War Cemetery Coll. grave 19. A. 8-11.
Pilot: 1021801 Sgt Richard Ktchen - Reichswald War Cemetery 19. A. 12.
Flight Engineer: 567548 Sgt William Dennis Robert George - Reichswald War Cemetery Coll. grave 19. A. 8-11.
Observer: 115777 Pilot Officer John Raymond Connolly - Reichswald War Cemetery Coll. grave 19. A. 8-11 (NCO:1167436 Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 24 February, 1942)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: 1168176 Sgt Murray Charles Fred Swain - Reichswald War Cemetery Coll. grave 19. A. 8-11.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: 1172586 Sgt Sidney Frank Parker - Reichswald War Cemetery Coll. grave 19. A. 8-11.
Air Gunner: 400647 Sgt Charles Noel Reynolds RAAF - Reichswald War Cemetery Coll. Grave. 19. A. 8-11.

UK National Archives has a German record card indicating the recovery of six individuals from this aircraft. See source 7.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft Aircraft R1000 - R9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1980 page 58)
2. Nachtjagd Combat Archive The Early Years part two
3. http://aircrewremembered.com/lambeth-hewart.html
4. https://www.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RC09125_004--1-.pdf
5. https://www.backtonormandy.org/component/mtree/air-force-operations/airplanes-allies-and-axis-
lost/halifax/R94841942-04-11.html
CWGC
6. Google Maps
7. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C18027748
8. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

30 May 1942	W1065	76 Sqn RAF	7	Gennevilliers - Hauts-de-Seine département		w/o
26 June 1942	W7747	76 Sqn RAF	7	North Sea		mis
12 August 1943	DK240	76 Sqn RAF	5	near Bernay, Eure		w/o
26 November 1943	LK903	76 Sqn RAF	1	near Erbach, Eltville am Rhein, Hessen		w/o
22 January 1944	LL185	76 Sqn RAF	7	North Sea W of Walcheren, Zeeland		w/o
15 March 1944	LW657	76 Sqn RAF	7	Heslach, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg		w/o
23 June 1944	LW620	76 Sqn RAF	7	10 miles WSW of Beverley, Yorks		w/o

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
09-Mar-2008 08:33	Bleiente	Added
06-Sep-2011 01:41	Uli Elch	Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
06-Sep-2011 02:28	Uli Elch	Updated [Aircraft type]
13-Aug-2012 01:01	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative]
13-Aug-2012 01:01	Nepa	Updated [Source]
21-Sep-2013 03:05	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Narrative]
08-Jan-2016 15:01	JIXN	Updated [Operator]
06-Mar-2017 00:45	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
06-Mar-2017 00:48	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
30-Nov-2017 21:34	Red Dragon	Updated [Cn, Operator, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
12-Nov-2018 08:48	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator]
17-Apr-2020 18:17	TigerTimon	Updated [Date, Time, Location, Source, Narrative]
25-Sep-2023 15:35	Richard	Updated [[Date, Time, Location, Source, Narrative]]
10-Apr-2024 06:54	Rob Davis	Updated [Source, Narrative]