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Flying Officer Rowland
Woolley Jones was serving as Bomb Aimer on board Halifax Mk.III
LK-837 coded SE-L during an operation to bomb the synthetic
oil plant at Sterkrade-Holten on the June 16/17 1944. The aircraft left
Croft at 2314hrs but was shot down by a night-fighter and
crashed at Meijel (Limburg) some 15km north east of Weert. Six of the
crew members, including F/O Rowland Jones were killed.
The crew consisted of:
|
Name |
Service |
Trade |
Hometown |
Age |
|
F/O Elmer Johnson |
RCAF |
Pilot |
- |
26 |
|
P/O Donald Shenton |
RAFVR |
Flight Engineer |
- |
- |
|
F/O R.C.B.Garrity - EVD |
RCAF |
Navigator |
- |
- |
|
F/O Rowland Woolley Jones |
RAFVR |
Bomb Aimer |
Surrey |
20 |
|
Pilot
Officer William Chapman |
RAFVR |
W/Op/AG |
Cheam, Surrey |
22 |
|
Sgt Edward Green |
RCAF |
Air Gunner |
Toronto, Ontario |
21 |
|
Sgt Vernon Obright |
RCAF |
Air Gunner |
Walkerton, Ontario |
21 |
Flying
Officer Rowland Woolley Jones RAFVR was born in 1924 in
Surrey, England. He originally posted in to 431 Squadron on
September 18, 1943 as a member of the Craig crew, with whom he
flew 13 operations. Rowland joined the Johnson crew after
their regular Bomb Aimer, P/O Gordon Jose was killed while
serving a mid under gunner with the Artyniuk crew during an
operation to Versailles on June 7/8. He is buried in Jonkerbos
War Cemetery near Nijmegen along with 3 other members of the
crew. F/O Johnson and Sergeant Obright are buried in Groesbeek
Canadian war cemetery.
The graves of P/O Chapman, F/O Jones, Sgt Shenton
The crew's
Navigator, F/O Garrity, evaded capture and returned safely to
the UK on September 7, 1944. Rowland's Halifax was one of four
lost by 431 Squadron during the operation to Sterkrade.
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