PL - David Gerald McLean KIA

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"A" Able flying through the Eiffel Tower? (although this event likely happened, this photograph is likely fake.) It is signed by the late Bill Bryant RAF who was the navigator of that aircraft piloted by Bob Boorman RCAF. The caption reads "This Stars Stripes photograph was taken on 14 September 1944 and shows a Mosquito Mk XIII of 409 Squadron RCAF. Pilot - W/O Bob Boorman RCAF Navigator F/S Bill Bryant RAF Flying through the Eiffel Tower."
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McLean, David Gerald (Pilot Officer)

Killed in Action 1942-August-01

Canada

Birth Date: 1911-March-07 (age 31)

Home: Ladysmith, British Columbia

Service
RCAF

Unit
14 OTU- Operational Training Unit (RAF)

Base
RAF Cottesmore

Rank

Pilot Officer

Marshal
Air Chief Marshal	A/C/M
Air Marshal	A/M
Air Vice Marshal	A/V/M
Air Commodore	A/C
Group Captain	G/C
Wing Commander	W/C
Squadron Leader	S/L
Flight Lieutenant	F/L
Flying Officer	F/O
Pilot Officer	P/O
Warrant Officer 1st Class	WO1
Warrant Officer 2nd Class	WO2
Flight Sergeant	FS
Sergeant	SGT
Corporal	CPL
Senior Aircraftman	SAC
Leading Aircraftman	LAC
Aircraftman 1st Class	AC1
Aircraftman 2nd Class	AC2

Position
Observer

Service Numbers
J/9506

14 Operational Training Group Hampden I aircraft P 1185 GL-B likely shot down by night fighter pilot Hauptmann Dr Horst Patuschka of the 7/NJG 2, who was flying a Ju 88 C-6 from Gilze-Rijen airfield in the Netherlands, crashing near Leffinge, Middelkerke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. Addendum: Hampden aircraft P 1185 (GL-B2) went down near Leffinghem, Holland whilst on Ops. to Dusseldorf, Germany. FS. G.T. Bloomer and Sgt. S.A. Shailer (RAAF) were also killed. Sgt. N.E. McGowan (RCAF) was taken Prisoner Of War. Pilot Officer DG McLean (RCAF), FS GT Bloomer (RCAF) and Sergeant SA Shailer (RAAF) were killed. Sergeant NE McGowan (RCAF) was taken Prisoner of War.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Find-A-Grave.com Finadagrave.com

Canada Primary Source Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Pilot Officer David Gerald McLean was exhumed and reburied.

Home

Google Map

Ladysmith, British Columbia

Target
Google Map

Google Map

Dusseldorf Germany

First Burial
Google Map

Google Map

Cemetery At Leffinghe, Belgium

Re-Burial
Google Map

Google Map

Adegem Canadian War Cemetery
Collective grave XII H 6-8

Hampden P1185

Flight Sergeant Bloomer, George Taylor (RCAF)
Wireless Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1942-August-01
Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Maldegem, Belgium

Male Head

Warrant Officer 2 McGowan, Norman Edgar (RCAF)

Prisoner of War
1942-August-01
cemetery unknown

Pilot Officer McLean, David Gerald (RCAF)
Observer
Killed in Action
1942-August-01
Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Maldegem, Belgium

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.

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

Wkikpedia Wikipedia Hampden Bomber

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Kestrek Publications Hampden - Kestrel Publications

last update: 2022-01-13 21:37:22

Hampden Mk. l P1185

With 14 OTU. Bombing Dusseldorf. Believed shot down by fighter near Ostend

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