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  Sergeant Charles Jarvie - 617 Squadron  
 

Sergeant Charles McAllister Jarvie - RAFVR
 
Sergeant Charles Jarvie was serving as Front Gunner on board Lancaster Mk.III ED-934 coded AJ-EK during Operation Chastise on May 16/17, 1943. The aircraft's target was the Sorpe Dam as part of the second wave. The Lancaster was hit by flak at 2300 hrs from batteries on the Isle of Texel (on the Dutch Coast) while flying at 300 feet outbound. It is believed that the aircraft strayed off course and as P/O Byers and his crew tried to get a fix on their position, were shot down by flak. It crashed into the Waddenzee West of Harlingen and was the first aircraft shot down on this operation with the loss of the entire crew. 

The other crewmembers were:

Name

Service

Trade

Hometown

Age

P/O Vernon Byers

RCAF

Pilot

Saskatchewan

32

Sgt Alastair Taylor

RAFVR

Flight Engineer

Morayshire,Scotland

20

F/O James Warner

RAFVR

Navigator

-

-

P/O Arthur Whitaker

RAFVR

Bomb Aimer

-

-

Sgt John Wilkinson

RAFVR

W/Op/AG

Antrobus,Cheshire

21

Sgt Charles Jarvie

RAFVR

Air Gunner

Glasgow

21

F/Sgt James McDowell

RCAF

Air Gunner

Port Arthur, Ontario

-

Sergeant Charles McAllister Jarvie RAFVR was born in 1922 in Glasgow, Scotland. He was the son of Charles and Nellie (nee Clark) Jarvie and younger and much loved only brother of Helen.

.

Nellie, Helen and Charles.

 

Posting History

 

Joined the RAF in 1940

Trained at Padgate-11.7.1940

No 6 RC-13.8.1940

No 1 E&WS-30.8.1940

Ullsworth-14.10.40

Ouston-15.5.1941

Acklington-29.5.1941

No 14 ITW-30.7.1942

No 4 AGS-6.9.1942

No 49 CU-31.10.1942

No 1661 CU

467 squadron-9.11.1942

Sergeant Jarvie flew with the Vine crew till the 9th of March 1943 joining the Byers crew on approximately the 10th of March 1943.

He and the rest of the crew were posted to 617 squadron on 28.3.1943

The body of Flight Sergeant McDowell RCAF was recovered on June the 22nd and he was laid to rest in the Harlingen General Cemetery.

His crewmates including Sergeant Jarvie have no known graves and are remembered on the Runnymede Memorial.

 
 
  Photos courtesy of Lorna Baines, service history courtesy of dambusters.org.uk, research by Linda Ibrom.