Chevalier, Joseph Frederic (Pilot Officer)

Killed in Action 1942-March-29

Pilot Officer Joseph Frederic Chevalier RCAF

Birth Date: 1921-February-21

Born: Montreal, Quebec

Parents: Armand Chevalier & Marguerite F. Chevalier (nee Forget)

Spouse:

Home: Montreal, Quebec (parents)

Enlistment: Montreal, Quebec

Enlistment Date: 1940-November-15

Service

RCAF

Unit

61 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Per Purum Tonantes Thundering through the clear air

Base

Rank

Pilot Officer

Position

Navigator

Service Numbers

J/6653

Home
Google MapMontreal, Quebec (parents)
Memorial Location
Google MapRunnymede Memorial Surrey
Panel 100

Took off from Woolfox Lodge at 20:20 in Manchester Mk I L-7454.

Aircraft was carrying 4 x 1,500 lb. mines when it went missing while engaged in a mine-laying operation (Gardening) off the Terschelling Islands, Holland.

Aircraft was shot down by a night fighter using the new Lichtenstein A/I radar to locate the Manchester.

Killed includes Chevalier: Pilot Officer Ian Mckenzie Cassavetti RAF KIA Runnymede Memorial Panel 68. Pilot Officer Cecil Stephen Churchill RAF KIA Runnymede Memorial Panel 68. Sergeant Raymond Dawson RAF KIA Runnymede Memorial Panel 81. Sergeant Hugh Dracass RAF KIA Runnymede Memorial Panel 82. Sergeant Donald Alastair Barham Hume RAF KIA Runnymede Memorial Panel 86. Sergeant John Mitchell RAF KIA Runnymede Memorial Panel 89.

Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

www.findagrave.com

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Manchester serial: L7454

(RAF Photo)(Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page)
Avro Manchester Mk. IA.

The Avro 679 Manchester was a British twin-engine medium bomber developed and manufactured in the United Kingdom. While not being built in great numbers, it was the forerunner of the famed and vastly more successful four-engined Avro Lancaster. Avro designed the Manchester to replace its inventory of twin-engine bombers. It first flew on 25 July 1939, and entered squadron service in November 1940, just over twelve months after the outbreak of the war. Operated by both RAF and the RCAF, the Manchester proved to be underpowered and unreliable, and production was terminated in 1941. However, the Manchester was redesigned into a four-engined heavy bomber, the Avro Lancaster, powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines.

200 airframes completed as true Manchesters were issued to front line RAF squadron's,. Of these, a total 77 aircraft were lost on operations and an additional 20 were lost in various accidents with those squadrons. An additional 24 aircraft were lost during training flights with non-operational units, such as those being used by Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) Flights. Combined losses therefore, were 121 or 60.50 percent of the original 200 aircraft. From those losses, 33 were directly due to engine failures - 12 with the squadrons, 21 with training units. Another 28 aircraft lost during operations, were thought to have been caused due to engine failure. As the airframes and engines could not be examined, these are listed as "Probably Lost Due To Enemy Action". Harold Skaarup web page

YouTube Manchester

Wikipedia Wikipedia Manchester Bomber

unvetted Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page