Coles, Edward Thomas (Flying Officer)

Killed in Action 1944-November-16

Flying Officer Edward Thomas Coles RCAF

Birth Date: 1923-January-05

Born:

Parents: Thomas H. Coles & Margaret Jean Coles

Spouse:

Home: Toronto, Ontario (parents)

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

166 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Tenacity

Base

RAF Kirmington

Rank

Flying Officer

Position

Pilot

Service Numbers

J/35865
Prev: R/173723

Home
Google MapToronto, Ontario (parents)
Target
Google MapDuren Germany
Final Burial
Google MapSoldaten Friedhof Alliierte Piloten 2WK
Coll grave 11 A 22-24

Took off from Kirmington at 12:35 in Lancaster Mk III (Sqn code AS-B Bomber Command) on an operation to Duren Germany.

Shot down (means not found) and crashed close to the Allied forward lines.

Killed includes Coles: Flight Sergeant Ralph William Carrroll RCAF R/176957 KIA Rheinberg War Cemetery Coll. grave 11. A. 22-24. Flying Officer Kenneth Douglas Farrow RCAF J/39321 KIA Rheinberg War Cemetery Coll. grave 11. A. 22-24. Flight Sergeant Joseph Edmund Leaman RCAF R/201700 KIA Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium grave VII. A. 9. Sergeant Ralph Robert Henry Schnaufer RCAF R/213416 KIA Rheinberg War Cemetery Coll. grave 11. A. 22-24. Sergeant Neil Lauretz Smith RCAF R/267154 KIA Rheinberg War Cemetery Coll. grave 11. A. 22-24. Sergeant David Cooke Orme RAF KIA Rheinberg War Cemetery Coll. grave 11. A. 22-24.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

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

Crew or Other Personnel

Lancaster PB648

Flight Sergeant Ralph William Carroll RCAF

Flight Sergeant Carroll, Ralph William (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1944-November-16
Soldaten Friedhof Alliierte Piloten 2WK, Am Englischen Friedhof, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany

Flying Officer Edward Thomas Coles RCAF

Flying Officer Coles, Edward Thomas (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Action
1944-November-16
Soldaten Friedhof Alliierte Piloten 2WK, Am Englischen Friedhof, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany

Flying Officer Kenneth Douglas Farrow RCAF

Flying Officer Farrow, Kenneth Douglas (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Action
1944-November-16
Soldaten Friedhof Alliierte Piloten 2WK, Am Englischen Friedhof, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany

Flight Sergeant Joseph Edmund Leaman RCAF

Flight Sergeant Leaman, Joseph Edmund (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-November-16
War Cemetery, Hotton, Luxembourg, Belgium

Sergeant Ralph Robert Henry Schnaufer RCAF

Sergeant Schnaufer, Ralph Robert Henry (RCAF)
Wireless Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-November-16
Soldaten Friedhof Alliierte Piloten 2WK, Am Englischen Friedhof, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany

Sergeant Neil Lauretz Smith RCAF

Sergeant Smith, Neil Lauretz (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-November-16
Soldaten Friedhof Alliierte Piloten 2WK, Am Englischen Friedhof, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany

Unit Desciption

166 (B) Sqn Tenacity (Huddersfield's Own)

No 166 Squadron RAF was originally formed at Bircham Newton, Norfolk on June 13, 1918, designed as a heavy bomber unit, to fly the Handley Page V/1500 aircraft. The squadron was never fully mobilized because the Armistice intervened. The squadron was re-formed in November 1936 as a heavy bomber unit, flying Handley Page Heyfords, later equipping with Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys. It was based at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire from November 1936 to January 1937, when it moved to Leconfield, Yorkshire. The squadron became part of an air observer's school on June 7, 1938, and then became a 1 Group pool squadron in May 1939. From September 1939 it was based at Abingdon, Berkshire until April 1940. In that month the squadron merged with no. 97 Squadron to form No. 10 OTU.

In January 1943 the squadron was re-formed at Kirmington, Yorkshire (53.578,-0.344, now Humberside Airport), from flights of Nos. 150 and 170 squadrons, when parts of these squadrons were posted to the Middle East. It was again bomber squadron, flying Vickers Wellingtons in No. 1 Group of Bomber Command. It remained at Kirmington until the end of WWII, later re-equipping with Avro Lancasters. In the period 27/28 January 1943 and 25 April 1945, it dropped 27,287 tons of bombs and laid 333 tons of mines. The squadron won "at least" 2 DSOs, 2 CGMs, 117 DFCs and 108 DFMs in the course of WWII. The squadron was disbanded on November 18, 1945.