Keeping, John Ross

Killed in Action 1943-05-19

Birth Date: 1916-March-13

Born:

Son of Sidney and Winifred Keeping, of Codette, Saskatchewan. Brother of Arthur Thomas Keeping who died on November 8, 1944 while serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Home: Codette, Saskatchewan

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: Unknown

Service

RCAF

Unit

489 (TB) Sqn- Squadron (RNZAF)

Base

Wick

Rank

Flight Sergeant

Position

Flight Sergeant

Service Numbers

R/98537

Home

Codette, Saskatchewan

Target

Norway

First Burial

Churchyard at Sola, Norway

489 Squadron RNZAF (Whakatanagata kia kaha) RAF Wick (Coastal Command). Hampden Tbi aircraft P 2084 was shot down into the sea off Norway while on an anti-shipping patrol. Cause of loss not established

FS JR Keeping (RCAF) was killed in action

FS Keeping was BROTHER of Pilot Officer Arthur Thomas Keeping (RCAF), 424 Tiger Squadron air gunner, killed 1944-11-03 on Halifax LW 131 QB-J on a raid to Dusseldorf, Germany

Canadian Virtual War Memorial

www.findagrave.com

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Findagrave.com

Hampden P2084

Male Head

Flight Sergeant Easton, Reginald William (RAFVR)
Pilot
Killed in Action
1943-May-19
cemetery unknown

Flight Sergeant Keeping, John Ross (RCAF)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1943-May-19
Churchyard, Sola, Norway

Warrant Officer I McEachern, Gerard Joseph (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Action
1943-May-19
Runnymede Memorial Surrey, UK

Male Head

Flight Sergeant Whitsed, Edward Miles (RAFVR)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1943-May-19
Runnymede Memorial Surrey, UK

Handley Page Hampden

(RCAF Photo via Chris Charland)(Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page)
Handley Page Hampden (Serial No. P5428), of No. 32 Operational Training Unit at RCAF Patricia Bay, British Columbia, in the torpedo-bomber training role between May 1942 and February 1944.

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Handley Page developed a modern stressed-skin mid-wing monoplane, powered by Bristol Pegasus radial air cooled engines, with its first flight in 1936. It had the most advanced wings available at the time, giving it a remarkably low landing speed of 73 mph for an aircraft of its size, with a top speed of 265 mph. The Hampden had a short, narrow but tall main fuselage with a very slender tail unit. This configuration led to the nicknames "Flying Panhandle" and "Flying Suitcase". At the end of the war, no complete or partial Hampden aircraft were retained for museum display.

The Hampden served in the early stages of the war, bearing the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and in the first 1000-bomber raid on Cologne.In Canada, Hampdens were built by six companies that formed Associated Aircraft. There were three in Ontario and three in Quebec, hence they were identified as the Ontario Group and Quebec Group. They supplied all the the components to the two assembly plants. The Ontario Group's assembly plant was at the Malton Airport, while the Quebec group's assembly plant was at the St. Hubert Airport. Canadian Museum of Flight and Harold A Skaarup web page

YouTube Handley Page Hampden in Flight