Accident Avro Lancaster Mk III ED689, Sunday 4 July 1943
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Date:Sunday 4 July 1943
Time:01:22 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic LANC model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Avro Lancaster Mk III
Owner/operator:9 Sqn RAF
Registration: ED689
MSN: WS-K
Fatalities:Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8
Other fatalities:0
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:into the Rhine river near Köln-Poll, Nordrhein-Westfalen -   Germany
Phase: Combat
Nature:Military
Departure airport:RAF Bardney
Destination airport:
Narrative:
Takeoff at 22:17 for an operation to Köln, Germany.
Hit by several heavy Flak units.

Crew:-
Pilot : Flight Lieutenant John Alfred Wakeford DFC RAFVR 101565 (NCO:1187688 : Commission Gazetted Friday 15 August, 1941) [Killed]
Bomb Aimer : Warrant Officer Class II George Francis Dohaney RCAF R/84638 [Killed]
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant Alec Frederick Backler RAFVR 1029538 [Killed]
Sergeant Harold Joseph Hawkridge RAFVR 1432434 [Killed]
Sergeant John Elwyn Owen RAFVR 1068297 [Killed]
Sergeant Thomas Geoffrey Porter RAFVR 1078562 [Killed]
Flying Officer Jonah Bruce Reeves RCAF J/13362 [Killed]
Sergeant Harry Leonard Wilson RAFVR 909231 [Killed]

Backler and Dohaney lie at the Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany (51.529254 / 6.564161) and the other six are remembered at the Runnymede Memorial, United Kingdom (51.437693 / -0.564745)

Sources:

Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 part two
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=ED689
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
17-Jan-2019 20:55 TigerTimon Added
19-Jan-2019 12:40 stehlik49 Updated [Operator, ]
26-Jan-2025 08:14 Rob Davis Updated [Source, Narrative, ]

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