Scanlan, Wilfred George (Flying Officer)

Killed in Action 1944-September-17

115 Squadron (Despite The Elements), Witchford, England.

Lancaster serial LM 693 crashed near Strijen, Holland during night operations over Moerdijk, Holland. Crew:

• Flight Lieutenant PW Bickford,
• Pilot Officer D Dawson
• Pilot Officer DG Flood
• Flying Officer AN Johnston
• Flight Sergeant UB Butters (RAF)
• Pilot Officer PL Dooley (RAF)

Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Home
Westport, Ontario
Target
Moerdijk Netherlands
Burial
Protestant Cemetery
Grave 7

Lancaster LM693





Flight Lieutenant Bickford, Peter William (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Action
1944-September-17
Protestant Cemetery, Strijen, South Netherlands, Netherlands






Pilot Officer Dawson, Douglas (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-September-17
Protestant Cemetery, Strijen, South Netherlands, Netherlands






Pilot Officer Flood, Donald George (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-September-17
Protestant Cemetery, Strijen, South Netherlands, Netherlands






Flying Officer Johnston, Arnold Ney (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Action
1944-September-17
Protestant Cemetery, Strijen, South Netherlands, Netherlands






Flying Officer Scanlan, Wilfred George (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1944-September-17
Protestant Cemetery, Strijen, South Netherlands, Netherlands

 Serial Groups  Specifications 
Avro Lancaster

Avro Lancaster Mk. X RCAF Serial FM 213
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling, all three aircraft being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same wartime era.
The Lancaster has its origins in the twin-engine Avro Manchester which had been developed during the late 1930s in response to the Air Ministry Specification P.13/36 for a capable medium bomber for "world-wide use". Originally developed as an evolution of the Manchester (which had proved troublesome in service and was retired in 1942), the Lancaster was designed by Roy Chadwick and powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlins and in one version, Bristol Hercules engines. It first saw service with RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and as the strategic bombing offensive over Europe gathered momentum, it was the main aircraft for the night-time bombing campaigns that followed. As increasing numbers of the type were produced, it became the principal heavy bomber used by the RAF, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within the RAF, overshadowing the Halifax and Stirling. Wikipedia
Lancaster Bomber
Wikipedia
Harold A Skaarup Web Page
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last update: 2021-09-18 14:32:33
Lancaster Mk.I/III LM693
KOT
Delivered to No. 115 Sqn (KO-T) 14 Aug 1944. Missing on operation to Moerdijk, 16/17 Sep 1944. 62 operational hours.



115 (B) Sqn Despite The Elements ()

No. 115 Sqn was originally formed on Dec 1, 1917 as a heavy bomber squadron and joined the Independent Air Force of the RAF in August 1918. It was disbanded in 1919, then re-formed in June 1937. It formed part of RAF Bomber Command No. 3 Group in WWII. Starting with Handley Page Harrow aircraft, it transferred to Vickers Wellingtons in 1939, which it flew until March 1943, when it transferred to Avro Lancaster B. Mk. II and later B. Mks I and III. Between April 1940 and September 1942 the squadron was seconded to Coastal Command and based at Kinloss, Scotland. It rejoined Bomber Command and flew from Mildenhall, East Wretham and Little Snoring in 1942 and 1943 before settling at Witchford, Cambridgeshire from November 1943 until the end of hostilities.

In April 1940 the squadron made the RAF's first bombing attack on the mainland of Europe, at Stavanger in Norway. In August of 1941 it participated in the service trials of the new navigational aid, GEE, and as a result of its report the device was put into mass production. Overall, in WWII the squadron flew 5392 sorties and dropped about 23,000 tons of bombs. This was the second-highest tonnage of bombs in Bomber Command. The squadron was 3rd in the number of raids in the course of the war. Since it was active over the whole span of WWI, it lost the greatest number of aircraft of any squadron in Bomber Command: it was the only squadron to lose more than 200 aircraft.