Campbell, Alexander Bruce (Flying Officer)

Killed in Action 1942-December-17

Flying Officer Alexander Bruce Campbell RCAF

Birth Date: 1920-June-06

Born: Toronto Ontario

Parents: Alexander Bruce Campbell & Dora Helen Campbell, of Willowdale, Ontario, Canada.

Spouse:

Home: Toronto, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

115 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Despite The Elements

Base

RAF East Wretham

Rank

Flying Officer

Position

Pilot

Service Numbers

J/10769

Home
Google MapToronto, Ontario
Target
Google MapFallersleben Germany
Final Burial
Google MapCWG Cemetery
12 F 3

Took off from East Wretham at 17:32 in Wellington Mk III (Sqn code KD-T Bomber Command on an opoeration to Fallersleben Germany.

The aircraft was coned by a searchlight and hit by heavy flak and crashed at Wettbergen, Hannover, Niedersachsen Germany.

Killed includes Campbell: Flight Sergeant Stanley Walter Sotkowy RCAF R/102246 KIA Hanover War Cemetery grave 12. F. 6. Flying Officer James Donald Woodman RCAF J/11232 KIA Hanover War Cemetery grave 12. F. 2. Sergeant Trevor George Emery RAF KIA Hanover War Cemetery grave 12. D. 12. Flying Officer Eric Theodore Bugden RAF KIA Hanover War Cemetery grave 12. D. 16.

Pilot Officer Bugden is listed on the Newfoundland Roll of Honour (http://ngb.chebucto.org/NFREG/WWII/ww2-hon-roll-raf.shtml)

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

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

Unit Desciption

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.