Addison, Joseph Horace (Pilot Officer)

Killed in Action 1943-June-26

Pilot Officer Joseph Horace Addison RCAF

Birth Date: 1914-April-13

Born: Sidney, British Columbia

Parents: Son of Horace Howell Addison and Clare Addison.

Spouse: Husband of Irene Addison, of Victoria, British Columbia.

Home: Sidney, British Columbia

Enlistment: London, United Kingdom

Enlistment Date: 1942-January-30

Service

RCAF

Unit

103 Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Noli Me Tangere Touch me not

Base

Elsham Wolds

Rank

Pilot Officer

Position

Air Gunner

Service Numbers

C/16683

Final Burial
Google MapNew Eastern Cemetery
Plot 69 Row B Coll grave 19

Mission

Lancaster Mk.I W4827

Bombing Gelsenkirchen Germany 1943-June-26 to 1943-June-26

103 (B) Sqn (RAF) Elsham Wolds

GELSENKIRCHEN

473 aircraft - 214 Lancasters, 134 Halifaxes, 73 Stirlings, 40 Wellingtons, 12 Mos?quitoes. This was the first raid to Gelsenkirchen since 1941, when it had been one of Bomber Command's regular 'oil targets', although, being in the middle of the Ruhr, this town had often been hit when other targets were attacked. 30 aircraft - 13 Lancasters, 7 Halifaxes, 6 Stirlings, 4 Wellingtons - were lost, 6?3 per cent of the force.

The target was obscured by cloud and the Oboe Mosquitoes, for once, failed to produce regular and accurate marking since 5 of the 12 Oboe aircraft found that their equipment was unserviceable. The raid was not a success. Diisseldorf reports 24 buildings destroyed and 3,285 damaged but 2,937 of these suffered only superficial blast damage. 20 industrial premises were hit and 4 of them suffered total production loss but no large fires were involved and the loss in production lasted for no longer than 2 weeks. 16 people were killed.

Bombs probably fell on many other Ruhr towns. Solingen, nearly 30 miles from Gelsenkirchen, recorded 21 people killed and 58 injured on this night.source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt

Lancaster W4827 was shot down by night fighter pilot Oberfeldwebel Karl-Heinz Scherfling of the 10./NJG 1, flying a Bf 110 G-4 from Bergen airfield.source: Aviation Safety Network