Crayston, Kerry Milton (Pilot Officer)

Killed in Action 1944-November-15

Pilot Officer Kerry Milton Crayston RCAF

Birth Date: 1924

Born:

Parents: Georgena M. Crayston

Spouse:

Home: Toronto, Ontario (mother)

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

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

Base

RAF Witchford

Rank

Pilot Officer

Position

Air Gunner

Service Numbers

J/95218
Prev: R/260479

Home
Google MapToronto, Ontario (mother)
Target
Google MapDortmund Germany
Final Burial
Google MapReichswald Forest War Cemetery
Plot 4 Row B Grave 5

Took off from Witchford at 12:41 in Lancaster Mk I (Sqn code KO-B Bomber Command) on a daylight raid to Dortmund Germany.

Lanc 706 collided over the target with 115Sqn Lanc 595 in the run-in to the target and both crashed in the area. No survivors.

Killed on NN706: Pilot Officer Kerry Milton Crayston, RCAF KIA Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany grave 4. B. 5. F/Lt John William Davidson, RCAF pilot KIA Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, grave 4. B. 7. Flying Officer Joseph Reginald Dunford, RCAF KIA Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, grave 4. B. 8. Pilot Officer Donald Nelson Page, RCAF KIA Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, grave 4. B. 6. Flying Officer James Henry Powner, RAF KIA Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, grave 4. B. 2. Flying Officer Charles Douglas Dowse RAF KIA Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, grave 4. B. 3.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

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

Crew or Other Personnel

Lancaster NN706

Pilot Officer Kerry Milton Crayston RCAF

Pilot Officer Crayston, Kerry Milton (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-November-15
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Germany

Flight Lieutenant John William Davidson RCAF

Flight Lieutenant Davidson, John William (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Action
1944-November-15
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Germany

Flying Officer Joseph Reginald Dunford RCAF

Flying Officer Dunford, Joseph Reginald (RCAF)
Wireless Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-November-15
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Germany

Pilot Officer Donald Nelson Page RCAF

Pilot Officer Page, Donald Nelson (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-November-15
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Germany

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.