Awrey, Donald Mclean (Pilot Officer)

Killed in Action 1944-March-31

Pilot Officer Donald Mclean Awrey RCAF

Birth Date: 1921-January-24

Born: Leamington, Essex County, Ontario, Canada

Parents: Son of Earl Carman and of Edith Catherine (nee McLean) Awrey, of Windsor, Ontario

Spouse:

Home: Windsor, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Distinguished Flying Cross

Service

RCAF

Unit

433 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Qui S'y Frotte S'y Pique Who opposes it gets pricked

Base

RAF Skipton-on-Swale

Rank

Pilot Officer

Position

Navigator

Service Numbers

J/19610

Home
Google MapWindsor, Ontario
Target
Google MapNuremberg Germany
Temporary Burial
Google MapButtenheim Civil Cemetery, Germany (as unknown airman)

Remains were later exhumed from this location and reburied

Final Burial
Google MapDurnbach War Cemetery
Plot 11 Row G Grave 1

Born in Leamington, Ontario, 1921. Home in Windsor, Ontario. Enlisted Hamilton, 31 January 1941: Trained at No 1 ITS (graduated 11 April 1942) and No 9 AOS (graduated 15 August 1942). Commissioned December 1943. Killed in Action 30/31 March 1944 (Halifax HX272 BM-N)

433 Porcupine Squadron (Qui S'y Frotte S'y Pique) RAF Skipton-on-Swale. Halifax BIII aircraft HX 272 BM-N was shot down by night fighter pilot Oberfeldwebel Robert Lüddeke of the 5/NJG 2, from Quakenbruck airfield, Germany in Ju 88 R4+JN aircraft, during an attack against Nuremberg, Germany. The Halifax crashed near Friesen, Germany

Pilot Officer DM Awrey DFC (RCAF), Pilot Officer LV Milward (RCAF), Warrant Officer Class 1 WF Rost (RCAF), Sergeant JS Thompson (RAF), and Pilot Officer CW Panton (RAF) were killed in action

Pilot Officer CM Nielsen (RCAF), Pilot Officer H Cooper (RCAF), and Pilot Officer RC McLaughlin (RCAF) survived and were taken as Prisoners of War.

This was Pilot Officer Awrey's 27th trip and his was one of 108 Allied aircraft lost this night

Distinguished Flying Cross - No 433 Squadron (deceased) - Award effective 30 March 1944 as per London Gazette dated 21 December 1945 and AFRO 155/46 dated 15 February 1946. Award presented to mother at Government House, 7 November 1949. The citation reads - "This officer has completed as navigator many successful operations against the enemy in the course of which he has invariably displayed high skill, fortitude and devotion to duty." Detail provided by H Halliday, Orleans, Ontario

Pilot Officer Panton had two younger brothers who, post war, wanted to purchase a surplus Halifax as a monument to their brother, but their father would not let them. In the 1980's, however, they purchased Lancaster NX611 from the French Naval Air Service and refurbished the aircraft to running condition at their farm which is on the wartime bomber airfield of East Kirkby in England (see Aeroplane Monthly Dec. 1999 for details)

Awrey Island, Nunavet was named after Donald Awrey

Unvetted Source Daily Operations 6bombergroup.ca

Unvetted Source Aviation Safety Network

Unvetted Source Casualties of the Moonlite Raid

Cenotaph at St. Andrews and St. James Cemetery, Orillia, Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Grave Commission -donald-mclean/,Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Commonwealth War Grave Commission International Bomber Command Centre

Find-A-Grave Finadagrave.com

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

Crew or Other Personnel

Halifax HX272

Pilot Officer Donald Mclean Awrey RCAF

Pilot Officer Awrey, Donald Mclean (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Action
1944-March-31
Durnbach War Cemetery, Gmund am Tegernsee, Germany

Flying Officer Henry Cooper RCAF

Flying Officer Cooper, Henry (RCAF)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Prisoner of War
1944-March-31
cemetery unknown

Flying Officer John Gilchrist McLaughlan RCAF

Flying Officer McLaughlan, John Gilchrist (RCAF)
Air Gunner (Rear)
Prisoner of War
1944-March-31
cemetery unknown

Pilot Officer Leo Victor Milward RCAF

Pilot Officer Milward, Leo Victor (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1944-March-31
Durnbach War Cemetery, Gmund am Tegernsee, Germany

Pilot Officer Christian Marius Nielson RCAF

Pilot Officer Nielson, Christian Marius (RCAF)
Pilot
Prisoner of War
1944-March-31
cemetery unknown

Pilot Officer Christopher Witton Panton RAFVR

Pilot Officer Panton, Christopher Witton (RAFVR)
Flight Engineer
Killed in Action
1944-March-31
Durnbach War Cemetery, Gmund am Tegernsee, Germany

Warrant Officer Class I William Francis Rost RCAF

Warrant Officer Class I Rost, William Francis (RCAF)
2nd Pilot
Killed in Action
1944-March-31
Durnbach War Cemetery, Gmund am Tegernsee, Germany

Sergeant James Sturgeon Thompson RAFVR

Sergeant Thompson, James Sturgeon (RAFVR)
Air Gunner (Mid-Upper)
Killed in Action
1944-March-31
Durnbach War Cemetery, Gmund am Tegernsee, Germany

Unit Desciption

433 (B) Sqn Qui S'y Frotte S'y Pique ("Porcupine")

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

433 Squadron was the 14th and last bomber squadron of the RCAF to be formed overseas in WWII. It was formed in September 1943 as a unit of No 6 (RCAF) Group of Bomber Command. It flew from Skipton-on-Swale, Yorkshire, UK for the whole of its operational career. With the squadron code letters BM, it originally flew Handley Page Halifax Mk III heavy bombers on its bombing missions, but these were replaced by Lancaster Mks I and III in January 1945. After the cessation of hostilities the squadron was retained in England as a unit of No 1 Group RAF from August 1945, and took part in the airlift of PoWs back to England (Operation EXODUS) and the bringing back of troops from Italy (Operation DODGE). The squadron was disbanded at Skipton in October 1945.

In the course of its operations, the squadron flew 209 missions involving 2316 individual sorties for the loss of 38 aircraft , dropping 7486 tons. Awards to crew members included 132 DFCs, 2 Bars to DFC, 9 DFMs, 1 BEM, 14 MiDs and 1 Air Medal (USA). Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1944-45, Baltic 1944-45, Fortress Europe 1944, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1944, Ruhr 1944-45, Berlin 1944, German Ports 1944-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1944.Wikipedia, Kostenuk and Griffin

Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)

Maps for Movements of 433 Squadron 1943-45

MAP 1: 433 Squadron Bases 1943-45 (marked in green). Right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab

433 Squadron History Summary 1943-45

History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Canuck, Freedom Fighter, Hornet)

The squadron re-formed as an All-Weather (Fighter) unit at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta , on 15 November 1954, as one of nine CF-100 squadrons to defend Canadian airspace. It moved to CFB North Bay, Ontario , in October 1955, the squadron flew CF-100 Canuck aircraft on North American air defence. However, in 1961 the Government decided to reduce the number of CF-100 squadrons from nine to five and 433 Squadron was dissolved for a second time on July 31st, 1961.

Reformed post-unification on 15 August 1968, as No. 433 Escadrille tactique de combat it was a French language squadron of Mobile Command based at CFB Bagotville, Quebec . The squadron flew the CF-5 Freedom Fighter in the tactical and reconnaissance role until it converted to the CF-188 Hornet fighter jets in 1984. The squadron was deactivated in 2005, and its assets and personnel amalgamated into 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron. Besides being originally designated as one of two bases of NATO's Rapid Reaction Force, the 433 Squadron was entrusted a NORAD role in December 1988. The 433 Squadron members in Bagotville played an important role in the Gulf War conflicts, better known under the names Operation FRICTION in 1991 and Operation ECHO in 1999. By September 2001, the Squadron was actively participating with NORAD in the fight against terrorism through Operation NOBLE EAGLE. On July 14th, 2005, the standards of the Squadron were once again laid aside almost 62 years after its initial formation. .Wikipedia

The squadron was reactivated on 9 June 2015, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on 15 September 2018.