Personnel Index - Detail

Name
BUTTERFIELD
First Names
Thomas
Rank
Sgt
Service
RAF
Service Number
1233713
Crew Position
Navigator
Posting In
5/43
Posting Out
7/43
Cemetery

 

Flew two operations in June 1943. 11th June to Düsseldorf and the following day to Bochum.

The crew was then broken up due to the illness of the pilot.

Sgt Butterfield was posted to 9Sqn and joined the crew of Sgt (later P/O) Warwick.

He flew at least 14 operations with this pilot and, interestingly, he was the crew's bomb aimer.
Sadly he was killed on the 3rd December 1943 returning from a raid to Berlin.

He is buried in Middleton St Mary's Churchyard, Yorkshire.

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Sadly there is no CWGC headstone and the year is incorrect. The squadron ORBs and the CWGC confirm the year as 1943.
 

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Extract is from Bill Chorley's Bomber Command Losses
 

Two images from the 9Sqn ORBs.

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Further details are kindly provided by the 9Sqn Association
 

Memorial Dedication for IX(B) Squadron Lancaster DV334

On Sunday 19 May 2013, a short service of commemoration was held at Milton Mausoleum, near Markham Clinton, Notts, near the crash site of IX(B) Squadron Lancaster DV334.

Over 500 people attended the ceremony that was hosted by the Markham Clinton Parish Council and was led by the Rev Colin Wall.

The memorial stone was raised in the memory of six IX(B) Squadron airmen who lost their lives when their Lancaster bomber, DV334 (WS-C) crashed on the night of 3 December 1943; having returned from a bombing raid on Berlin.
Lancaster DV334 had been diverted from its home base of RAF Bardney, Lincs, and initially tried to land at RAF Ossington, Notts.
However, heavy fog prevented landing at this diversion airfiled and the crew then attempted to land at nearby RAF Gamston.
This attempt was also unsuccessful due to the atrocious weather.
Low on fuel the Lancaster crashed in a field close to Milton Mausoleum, only a few miles from the A1.
 

The IX(B) Squadron crew comprised of:
 

Plt Off Warwick - KIA
Sgt Davison - KIA
FS Butterfield - KIA
FS Graham - KIA
Sgt Munn - KIA
Sgt Rickard - INJ
Sgt Jones- KIA
FS Owen - INJ
 

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Image courtesy of the IX(B) Squadron Association
 

FS Owen and Sgt Rickard survived the crash and Sid Mellors, who still lives locally, explained that at that time in 1943, he was a member of the Observer Corps, and that he and Observer Pegler heard the crash and helped with the rescue. Sid provided an enlightening and moving account of the aftermath of the crash and he read out details of the Observer Corp Report that they filed after the accident. This included details of how they placed the bodies of sheep killed in the crash around the injured airmen to try and keep them warm until the RAF rescue teams arrived.

Amongst the guests was a 94 year old IX(B) Squadron rear gunner, Jack Linaker who attended the ceremony with the IX(B) Squadron Association Secretary, Sqn Ldr Dicky James (RAF Retd). Another honoured guest was Audrey Stoker, from Newcastle, who attended with her family. Audrey is the niece of Sgt Davison, the Flight Engineer of DV334 and had known nothing of the details of her Uncle's demise until reading about him in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.


One of the highlights of the dedication was an excellent flypast by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster, which performed three stunning runs over the crowd gathered at Milton Mausoleum. Funding for the memorial stone was made possible by a grant from Nottinghamshire County Council Local Improvement Scheme initiative. Vice-Chairman of Markham Clinton Parish Council, Mr Jim Swindin was instrumental in securing the funding.