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Welch, Harry William (Pilot Officer)

Killed in Action 1943-February-19

Birth Date: 1916 (age 27)

Son of George Albert Welch and Sara Ann (nee Dunhill) Welch

Home: Listowel, Ontario

Service
RCAF
Unit
156 (PFF) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
We Light The Way
Base
RAF Warboys
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
Navigator
Service Numbers
J/16600

Lancaster Mk.I/III ED485

Bombing Wilhelmshaven Germany 1943-February-19 to 1943-February-19

156 (PFF) Sqn (RAF) RAF Warboys

156 Squadron (We Light The Way), Pathfinder Force, RAF Warboys. Lancaster BII aircraft ED 485 was lost without a trace during an operation over the naval yards at Wlihelmshaven, Germany. The Lancaster may have been shot down by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Paul Gildner of the Stab IV/NJG-1, crashing into the North Sea, North of Vlieland, Friesland, Netherlands with the loss of the entire crew

Pilot Officer H W Welch (RCAF), Pilot Officer T E Case (RCAF), Pilot Officer P Y C Tremblay (RCAF), Pilot Officer E Cuthbert (RNZAF), Pilot Officer H A McLennan DFM (RAAF), Sergeant E P G Bayliss (RAFVR) and Sergeant J W Denby (RAFVR) were all missing, presumed killed in action

The missing have no known graves and all are commemorate d on the Runnymede Memorial

Several of the crew members of Lancaster ED 245 had been involved in the crash of 156 Squadron Wellington III aircraft X3811, which encountered icing conditions and was abandoned over England after a fire started

Flight Sergeant T E Case (RCAF) and Flight Sergeant H W Welch (RCAF) were slightly injured, Flight Sergeant P Y C Tremblay (RCAF), Sergeant H A McLennan (RAAF) and Sergeant E Cuthbert (RNZAF) survived, safe. However, the Wellington crashed into the village of Somersham, Huntingdon, England, where it destroyed several houses on High Street and killed 11 people on the ground: Pauline Margaret Cattanach, Vera Cattanach, Juliana Davies, Annie Maria Holdich, Alice Lamb, William Francis Lamb, Violet Ewing Moule, Eliza Nightingale, Elizabeth Richardson, Ena Joyce Stroud and Elsie May Taylor

Several of the crew members of Lancaster ED 245 had previously been involved in the crash of 156 Squadron Wellington III aircraft X3811, which encountered icing conditions and was abandoned over England

Flight Sergeant T E Case (RCAF) and Flight Sergeant H W Welch (RCAF) were slightly injured, Flight Sergeant P Y C Tremblay (RCAF), Sergeant H A McLennan (RAAF) and Sergeant E Cuthbert (RNZAF) survived, safe. However, the Wellington crashed into the village of Somersham, Huntingdon, England, where it destroyed several houses on High Street and killed 11 people on the ground: Pauline Margaret Cattanach, Vera Cattanach, Juliana Davies, Annie Maria Holdich, Alice Lamb, William Francis Lamb, Violet Ewing Moule, Eliza Nightingale, Elizabeth Richardson, Ena Joyce Stroud and Elsie May Taylor

General Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database

General Aviation Safety Network

General Results

General Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I off Vlielandin: 7 killed I Bureau of...

Pilot Officer Welch had previously been employed by the Royal Bank of Canada from April 10, 1934 at the Kincardine, Ontario branch and later at the Brantford, Ontario, branch from where he enlisted in the RCAF on October 12, 1940

General Enlisted Staff - RBC

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Commonwealth War Graves Commission International Bomber Command Centre

Find-A-Grave.com Finadagrave.com

General www.findagrave.com

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

Pilot Officer Harry William Welch has no known grave.

Home
Google MapListowel, Ontario
Target
Google MapWilhelmshaven Germany

Google MapRunnymede Memorial Surrey
Panel 178

Lancaster ED485

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

YouTube Lancaster Bomber

Wkikpedia Wikipedia

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

last update: 2021-09-18 14:32:33

Lancaster Mk.I/III ED485

GT- Built as Mk. III, converted to Mk. I at No. 156 Sqn. Missing on mission to Wilhelmshaven 19/20 Feb 1943. 53 flying hours.

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