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Venber, Nick (Pilot Officer)

Killed in Action 1944-May-01

Birth Date: 1924 (age 20)

Son of Nicholas Venber and Vera Venber (nee Prokopchuk), of Nanaimo, British Columbia

Home: Nanaimo, British Columbia

Service
RCAF
Unit
420 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Pugnamus Finitum We fight to the finish
Base
Tholthorpe
Rank
Pilot Officer
Marshal
Air Chief MarshalA/C/M
Air MarshalA/M
Air Vice MarshalA/V/M
Air CommodoreA/C
Group CaptainG/C
Wing CommanderW/C
Squadron LeaderS/L
Flight LieutenantF/L
Flying OfficerF/O
Pilot OfficerP/O
Warrant Officer 1st ClassWO1
Warrant Officer 2nd ClassWO2
Flight SergeantFS
SergeantSGT
CorporalCPL
Senior AircraftmanSAC
Leading AircraftmanLAC
Aircraftman 1st ClassAC1
Aircraftman 2nd ClassAC2
Position
Bomb Aimer
Service Numbers
J/85634
Prev: R/122455

420 Snowy Owl Squadron (Pugnamus Finitum) RAF Tholthorpe. Halifax BIII aircraft LW 476 PT-J "Jumpin Jupiter" went down in the sea off France during a night raid against the rail yards at Somain, France, cause of loss unknown

Pilot Officer N Venber (RCAF) was missing, presumed killed in action

Pilot Officer Venber has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede War Memorial

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Graves Commission International Bomber Command Centre

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

Pilot Officer Nick Venber has no known grave.

Home
Google MapNanaimo, British Columbia
Target
Google MapSomain France

Google MapRunnymede Memorial Surrey
Panel 253

Halifax LW476

Sergeant Franklin, Lloyd Stuart (RCAF)
Flight Engineer
Killed in Action
1944-May-01
Runnymede Memorial Surrey, UK

Flying Officer Hall, Alfred Henry Benbow (RCAF)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-May-01
Communal Cemetery, St Valeiy-Sur-Somme, France

Male Head

Pilot Officer Lines, Charles Henry (RAFVR)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-May-01
Runnymede Memorial Surrey, UK

Flying Officer Morrison, Frederick William (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Action
1944-May-01
Communal Cemetery, Cayeux-Sur-Mer, Somme, France

Flight Lieutenant Northern, Edward (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Action
1944-May-01
Runnymede Memorial Surrey, UK

Pilot Officer Venber, Nick (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1944-May-01
Runnymede Memorial Surrey, UK

Pilot Officer Young, William Harold (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-May-01
Runnymede Memorial Surrey, UK

Handley Page Halifax

(RAF Photo, 1942)(Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page)A Royal Air Force Handley Page Halifax Mk. II Series I (Serial No. W7676), coded TL-P, of No. 35 Squadron, RAF, based at Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire in the UK, being piloted by Flight Lieutenant Reginald Lane, (later Lieutenant-General, RCAF), over the English countryside. Flt Lt Lane and his crew flew twelve operations in W7676, which failed to return from a raid on Nuremberg on the night of 28/29 August 1942, when it was being flown by Flt Sgt D. John and crew.

The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester.

The Halifax has its origins in the twin-engine HP56 proposal of the late 1930s, produced in response to the British Air Ministry's Specification P.13/36 for a capable medium bomber for "world-wide use." The HP56 was ordered as a backup to the Avro 679, both aircraft being designed to use the underperforming Rolls-Royce Vulture engine. The Handley Page design was altered at the Ministry to a four-engine arrangement powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine; the rival Avro 679 was produced as the twin-engine Avro Manchester which, while regarded as unsuccessful mainly due to the Vulture engine, was a direct predecessor of the famed Avro Lancaster. Both the Lancaster and the Halifax would emerge as capable four-engined strategic bombers, thousands of which would be built and operated by the RAF and several other services during the War.

On 25 October 1939, the Halifax performed its maiden flight, and it entered service with the RAF on 13 November 1940. It quickly became a major component of Bomber Command, performing routine strategic bombing missions against the Axis Powers, many of them at night. Arthur Harris, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Bomber Command, described the Halifax as inferior to the rival Lancaster (in part due to its smaller payload) though this opinion was not shared by many of the crews that flew it, particularly for the MkIII variant. Nevertheless, production of the Halifax continued until April 1945. During their service with Bomber Command, Halifaxes flew a total of 82,773 operations and dropped 224,207 tons of bombs, while 1,833 aircraft were lost. The Halifax was also flown in large numbers by other Allied and Commonwealth nations, such as the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Free French Air Force and Polish forces. Wikipedia

YouTube Halifax Heavy Bomber WWII

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Wkikpedia Wikipedia Halifax Bomber

Museum National Air Force Museum of Canada

CASPIR Aircraft Groups:
RCAF Owned (5) RCAF 6 Group (1594) RCAF 400 Squadrons (1595) Canadian Crewed (2352) Canadian Museum (2)
last update: 2023-12-08 20:34:11

Halifax B/A.Mk.III LW476

PTRAF RoundelJ
With No. 420 (B) Squadron, RCAF, coded "PT*J". Failed to return from attack on the rail yards at Somain on 30 April / 1 May 1944. All were killed.
Units 158/640/426

1944-04-30 Failed to Return Failed to return from attack on the rail yards at Somain. All were killed. 2019-08-20

420 (B) Sqn Pugnamus Finitum ("Snowy Owl")

History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Hampden I, Wellington III, X, Halifax III, Lancaster X)

420 Squadron RCAF was the fourth RCAF bomber unit formed overseas in WWII. It was formed at Waddington, Lincolnshire, UK on December 19, 1941 as a unit of No 5 Group of RAF Bomber Command flying Handley Page Hampden Mk 1 aircraft, with the squadron code letters PT. In early August 1942 the squadron transferred to No 4 Group of Bomber Command, and was based at Skipton-on-Swale, Yorkshire : at this time it was equipped with Vickers Wellington Mk. III aircraft. In October 1942 it moved to Middleton St. George, Durham , where on January 1, 1943 it became a unit of the newly-created no. 6 (RCAF) Group of Bomber Command. It remained there until May 1943, when, by now flying tropicalized Wellington Mk X aircraft, it flew to Tunisia in North Africa to join No 331 (RCAF) Wing of No. 205 Group. From the bases of Kairouan/Zina and Hani East Landing Ground (both locations approximate)it attacked targets in Sicily and Italy as part of the invasion force. In October, the squadron returned by sea to England, leaving its aircraft behind, and rejoined 6 Group at Dalton, Yorkshire, re-equipping with Handley Page Halifax Mk. III aircraft. The squadron finally moved to Tholthorpe, Yorkshire in December 1943, where it remained until the end of hostilities in Europe. From April 1945 the squadron re-equipped with Lancaster Mk. X aircraft, although they were not used operationally. In June 1945 the squadron flew its aircraft to Debert, Nova Scotia , where it disbanded in September of 1945

In the course of hostilities, the squadron flew 4186 sorties for the loss of 65 aircraft. 9771 tons of bombs were dropped. The squadron won 38 DFC's, 1 Bar to DFC, and 9 DFM's. Battle Honors were: English Channel and North Sea 1942-44, Baltic 1942, Fortress Europe 1942-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1942-44, Ruhr 1942-45, Berlin 1944, German Ports 1942-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1942-43, Sicily 1943, Italy 1943, SalernoWikipedia, Kostenuk and Griffin, Moyes

Museum 420 Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum (Large PDF)

Museum 420 Tholthorpe Airfield Operations Record Book

Museum 420 Squadron Operations Record Book

Maps for Movements of 420 Squadron 1941-45

MAP 1: 420 Squadron Movements in England 1941-45 (right-click on image to display enlarged new tab)
MAP 2: 420 Squadron Movements in Yorkshire and Durham 1942-45
MAP 3: 420 Squadron Movements in Tunisia, North Africa 1943

420 Squadron History Summary 1941-45

420 Squadron History Summary 1941-45 Page 2

History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Harvard, Mustang, Silver Star, Tracker)

No. 420 Squadron reformed at London, Ontario on 15 September 1948, and flew North American Mustang and Harvard aircraft in a fighter role until the squadron disbanded on 1 September 1956. The squadron was re-formed as an Air Reserve squadron based initially at CFB Shearwater, Nova Scotia flying the de Havilland Canada Tracker aircraft that had once been the backbone of the Canadian Naval Air's anti-submarine program. As an Air Reserve Squadron it participated with regular fisheries patrols. It was one of the few active Air Reserve Squadrons in Canada and was paired with the Regular Force's 880 Squadron. The Squadron was rebased to CFB Summerside, Prince Edward Island when their base was downsized. No 420 Squadron was reduced to nil strength on 15 May 1995.

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