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| Date: | Tuesday 25 January 1944 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 16 OTU RAF |
| Registration: | BK501 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Aircraft missing |
| Location: | English Channel off the French coast near Grainville -
 France
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Upper Heyford |
Aircraft took off at 19h22 on a leaflet dropping mission to Grainville, Northern France. It failed to return to base and only the bodies of P/O Perry and Sgt Mitchell were recovered, washing up on the beach at Barneville on the 27th suggesting the crew abandoned the aircraft over the English Channel.
Pilot: J/23626 F/O John Gilbert Johnson (RCAF)
Navigator: 1491254 Sgt John Francis Smith (RAFVR)
Bomb Aimer: J/26300 P/O Nap King Perry (RCAF)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: 1543005 Sgt Peter Hugh Normenton (RAFVR)
Air Gunner: R/207263 Sgt William Kenneth Rodgers (RCAF)
Air Gunner: R/221524 Sgt George Donald Mitchell (RCAF)
Sources:
The National Archives UK - 16 OTU wartime records
Archives Canada
RCAF Losses 1944
Personnel files of all RCAF personnel from Ancestry.ca
CASPIR
https://aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=bk501&qand=&exc1=&exc2=&search_only=&search_type=exact
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Jun-2025 08:03 | tachel | Added |
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