Personnel Index - Detail
30/31 March, 1944; NUREMBERG:
Bomber Command suffered its biggest loss of the war; 31 Halifaxes and 64 Lancasters, 11.9 per cent of the force dispatched failed to return.
The unit's contribution to the night’s proceedings involved 16 Lancasters; the first aircraft lifting away from Fiskerton at 21.55hrs.
Sadly two of those aircraft 'going down' were from the squadron: P/O Leslie Kellow (a Canadian in the RAF(VR) and crew were only on their first operation and were the 36th aircraft to be brought down. Mid-upper gunner, Sgt McAvoy survived from the burning Lancaster; with his face badly burned and crusted, he crawled around for two hours bumping into trees until villagers found him. He was then left in a coal cellar for twelve hours without any attention at all. Cold and in great pain he was placed in a cart with another injured airman; the other airman was in fact the crew’s navigator, Sgt David Rowcliffe, who couldn't recognise Sgt McAvoy. At the local hospital, both received devoted nursing attention but sadly David Rowcliffe passed away the next day. Sgt McAvoy underwent thirty surgical operations for his burns. The remaining five members of the crew had all died in the aircraft, and are buried alongside each other in Hannover War Cemetery.
Lancaster JB314 (EA-Q)
P/O L.G. Kellow Pilot (Killed)
Sgt S.G. Silver F/E (Killed)
Sgt D. Rowcliffe NAV (Killed)
Sgt L.E. Walford W/OP (Killed)
Sgt A.J. McAvoy A/G (P.o.W.)
Sgt T.C. Baker B/A (Killed)
P/O J. Latham RCAF A/G (Killed)
Crew on their 1st operation