Dawson, Douglas (Pilot Officer)

Killed in Action 1944-September-17

Pilot Officer Douglas Dawson RCAF

Birth Date: 1925

Born:

Parents:

Spouse:

Home: Cookstown, Ontario

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/90321
Prev: R/251971-

Home
Google MapCookstown, Ontario
Target
Google MapMoerdijk Netherlands
Final Burial
Google MapProtestant Cemetery
Grave 2

Mid air collision with 90Squadron Lancaster Mk I LM169 WP-R2.

Crashed near Strijen, Holland during night operations over Moerdijk, Holland.

115 Squadron (Despite The Elements), Witchford, England.

Lancaster serial LM 693 crashed near Strijen, Holland during night operations over Moerdijk, Holland. Crew:

  • Flight Lieutenant PW Bickford,
  • Pilot Officer D Dawson
  • Pilot Officer DG Flood
  • Flying Officer AN Johnston
  • Flight Sergeant UB Butters (RAF)
  • Pilot Officer PL Dooley (RAF)

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

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

Crew or Other Personnel

Lancaster LM693

Flight Lieutenant Peter William Bickford RCAF

Flight Lieutenant Bickford, Peter William (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Action
1944-September-17
Protestant Cemetery, Strijen, South Netherlands, Netherlands

Pilot Officer Douglas Dawson RCAF

Pilot Officer Dawson, Douglas (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-September-17
Protestant Cemetery, Strijen, South Netherlands, Netherlands

Pilot Officer Donald George Flood RCAF

Pilot Officer Flood, Donald George (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-September-17
Protestant Cemetery, Strijen, South Netherlands, Netherlands

Flying Officer Arnold Ney Johnston RCAF

Flying Officer Johnston, Arnold Ney (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Action
1944-September-17
Protestant Cemetery, Strijen, South Netherlands, Netherlands

Flying Officer Wilfred George Scanlan RCAF

Flying Officer Scanlan, Wilfred George (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1944-September-17
Protestant Cemetery, Strijen, South Netherlands, Netherlands

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.