Drimmie, Gordon Robert (Flying Officer)

Killed in Action 1944-January-14

Flying Officer Gordon Robert Drimmie RCAF

Birth Date: 1923

Born:

Parents: Son of Martin and Margaret Drimmie, of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Spouse:

Home: Revelstoke, British Columbia

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Distinguished Flying Cross

Service

RCAF

Unit

405 (PFF) Sqn- Squadron
Ducimus We Lead

Base

RAF Linton-on-Ouse

Rank

Flying Officer

Position

Pilot

Service Numbers

J/16306
Prev: R/103502

Home
Google MapRevelstoke, British Columbia
Target
Google MapBrunswick Germany
Final Burial
Google MapCWG Cemetery
11 H 2 at Hanover War Cemetery Germany

Born 1922; home in Vancouver; enlisted Calgary 17 February 1941. Trained at No.2 ITS (graduated 25 April 1941), No.19 EFTS (graduated 25 September 1941) and No.10 SFTS (graduated 19 December 1941). Commissioned 1941 Killed in action 14 January 1944 (Lancaster ND423); buried in Germany.

Flying Officer Drimmie had completed over thirty trips over enemy territory and had begun his second tour of operations when his Lancaster aircraft ND 423 went down during a night attack against Brunswick, Germany. Flight Sergeant R.F. Peterson, Flying Officer J.F. Gilbey, and four RAF crew members were also killed. There were three 405 Sqdn. aircraft lost this date. Please see Flight Lieutenant J.J. Souaillard and Flight Lieutenant W.B. Cloutier D.F.C. for information regarding the other crew and aircraft

Addendum: - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.405 Squadron - Award effective 5 February 1944 as per London Gazette dated 15 February 1944 and AFRO 644/44 dated 24 March 1944. Medal sent to next-of-kin, 8 March 1946 via Governor General. No citation other than "..completed ...many successful operations against the enemy in which [he] displayed high skill, fortitude and devotion to duty. Public Records Office Air 2/8782 has recommendation dated 22 December 1943 when he had flown 31 sorties (180 hours 16 minutes) as follows:

1 Nov 42 St.Omer (1.50) 6 Dec 42 Eindoven (2.30) 15 Jan 43 Cherbourg (1.30) 22 Jan 43 St Omer (115) 26 Jan 43 St Omer (140) 13 Feb.43 St.Malo (4.55) 15 Feb 43 Dunkirk (1.50) 30 Jul 43 Remscheld (6.10) 2 Aug 43 Hamburg (6.25) 9 Aug 43 Mannheim (8.14) 10 Aug 43 Nurernburg (8.55) 12 Aug 43 Milan (9.45) 17 Aug 43 Peenemunde (7.35) 22 Aug 43 Leverkusen (6.45) 23 Aug 43 Berlin (8.10) 27 Aug 43 Nuremburg (8.45) 15 Sep 43 Montlucon (5.57) 22 Sep 43 Hanover (5.41) 23 Sep 43 Mannheim (6.01) 4 Oct 43 Frankfurt (5.46) 8 Oct 43 Hanover (5.18) 18 Oct 43 Hanover (5.57) 20 Oct 43 Leipzig (6.53) 22 Oct 43 Kassel (4.50) 3 Nov 43 Cologne (431) 10 Nov 43 Modane (7.10) 22 Nov 43 Berlin (6.21) 23 Nov 43 Berlin (6.02) 26 Nov 43 Berlin (7.06) 3 Dec 43 Leipzig (6.32) 16 Dec 43 Berlin (7.11)

This pilot has displayed coolness and devotion to duty of a very high order during the many operational sorties he has carried out with this squadron. He has set a high example to his crew and to the rest of the-squadron. He has participated in attacks on most of the enemy's heavily defended targets including Leipzig, Frankfurt, Mannheim and Berlin. This officer is strongly recommended for the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross Detail provided by H. Halliday, Orleans, Ontario

.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

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

Crew or Other Personnel

Lancaster ND423

Flying Officer Gordon Robert Drimmie RCAF

Flying Officer Drimmie, Gordon Robert (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Action
1944-January-14
CWG Cemetery, Hanover, Germany

Flying Officer James Frank Gilbey RCAF

Flying Officer Gilbey, James Frank (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1944-January-14
CWG Cemetery, Hanover, Germany

Flight Lieutenant Roger Bingham Jarvie RAFVR

Flight Lieutenant Jarvie, Roger Bingham (RAFVR)
Navigator
Killed in Action
1944-January-14
cemetery unknown

Sergeant Eric Arthur Lane RAF

Sergeant Lane, Eric Arthur (RAF)
Flight Engineer
Killed in Action
1944-January-14
cemetery unknown

Flight Sergeant Raymond Floyd Peterson RCAF

Flight Sergeant Peterson, Raymond Floyd (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-January-14
CWG Cemetery, Hanover, Germany

Sergeant Dennis Frederick Smith RAFVR

Sergeant Smith, Dennis Frederick (RAFVR)
Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-January-14
cemetery unknown

Mission

Lancaster Mk.III ND423

Bombing Brunswick Germany 1944-January-14 to 1944-January-14

405 (PFF) Sqn (RCAF) Gransden Lodge

Battle of Berlin

Served with No. 405 Squadron, RCAF from 9 January 1944, coded "LQ*K". Failed to return from operation over Brunswick on 15 January 1944, its first operation. All crew killed. Had 8 hours logged when written off. One of 3 squadron losses on this mission. Reported as shot down by night fighter, crashing in flames in a farm filed near Uepsen, Germany, but the identity of this crashed aircraft is not confirmed

Lancaster serial: ND423

Avro Lancaster Mk. X RCAF Serial FM 213
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling, all three aircraft being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same wartime era.

The Lancaster has its origins in the twin-engine Avro Manchester which had been developed during the late 1930s in response to the Air Ministry Specification P.13/36 for a capable medium bomber for "world-wide use". Originally developed as an evolution of the Manchester (which had proved troublesome in service and was retired in 1942), the Lancaster was designed by Roy Chadwick and powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlins and in one version, Bristol Hercules engines. It first saw service with RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and as the strategic bombing offensive over Europe gathered momentum, it was the main aircraft for the night-time bombing campaigns that followed. As increasing numbers of the type were produced, it became the principal heavy bomber used by the RAF, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within the RAF, overshadowing the Halifax and Stirling. Wikipedia

YouTube Lancaster Bomber

Wikipedia Wikipedia

Unvetted Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Unit Desciption

405 (PFF) Sqn Ducimus ("Vancouver")

Group
Squadron
Base
County
Arrived
Comments
4
405
Driffield
Yorkshire
1941-April-23
Formed. Wellington II, 05/41.
4
405
Pocklington
Yorkshire
1941-June-20
Halifax II, 04/42.
4
405
Beaulieu
Hampshire
1942-October-25
4
405
Beaulieu
Yorkshire
1943-March-01
Detached Coastal Command.
6
405
Topcliffe
Yorkshire
1943-March-01
Rejoined from Coastal Command.
6
405
Leeming
Yorkshire
1943-March-14
To 8 Group, 18/04/43.
8
405
Gransden Lodge
Bedfordshire
1943-April-18
Ex-6 Group. Lancaster I, 08/43. Lancaster III, 08/43. Lancaster X, 05/45. To 6 Group, 26/05/45.
6
405
Linton-On-Ouse
Yorkshire
1945-May-26
Ex-8 Group. To Canada 16/06/45.

History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Wellington II, Halifax II, Lancaster I, III & X)

This was the first RCAF bomber squadron to be activated at Driffield, Yorkshire, England and flew its first mission on 12/13 June 1941. At that time it was a member of 4 Group of Bomber Command, and flew successively from Driffield, Pocklington and Topcliffe, Yorkshire, England. With Code Letters LQ It flew Wellington Mk II aircraft until converting to Halifax II in April 1942, in time for the first 1000-bomber raid on Cologne. In October 1942 it was transferred to Coastal Command No 18 Group, flying over the Bay of Biscay from Beaulieu, Hampshire. Returning to Bomber Command, the squadron joined No 6 (RCAF) Group and flew from Topcliffe and Leeming, Yorkshire in March and April 1943. It was then seconded to No. 8 (Pathfinder) Group and for the rest of the war flew from Grandsen Lodge, Bedfordshire, UK . Its first Pathfinder mission was on 26th April 1943, and its last on 25th April 1945. It was slated to become part of the "Tiger Force" to attack Japan, but the surrender of Japan precluded that, and the Squadron was disbanded at Greenwood, Nova Scotia on September 5th, 1945. One of the aircraft that flew briefly with the squadron was the first Canadian-built Lancaster Mk. X, KB700, christened the "Ruhr Express", which was subsequently transferred to 419 Sqn RCAF in December 1943. Overall, the squadron flew 4427 sorties, of which 349 were with Coastal Command and 41 were in Operation Exodus, the repatriation of POWs. Nearly 25000 operational hours were logged together with 12,000 non-operational, and 12,856 tons of bombs were dropped. In the course of operations, 167 aircraft were lost with 937 aircrew. In the course of its history, squadron members were awarded 9 DSO's, 161 DFC's and 24 Bars to DFC's, 38 DFM's, 2 CGM's 2 BEM's and 11 MiD's. Battle Honours were: Fortress Europe 1941-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1941-45, Ruhr 1941-45, Berlin 1941; 1943-44, German Ports 1941-45, Normandy 1944, Walcheren, Rhine; Biscay 1942-43.Moyes, Kostenuk and Griffin

Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)

Maps for Movements of 405 Squadron 1941-45

MAP 1: 405 Squadron Movements in Yorkshire 1941-45 (right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab)
MAP 2: 405 Squadron Movements in England 1941-45

405 Sqn History Summary 1941-45

405 Sqn History Summary 1941-45 Page 2

History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Lancaster X, Neptune, Argus I & II, Aurora)

The squadron was re-formed as No 405 (Maritime Reconnaissance) Squadron at Greenwood, Nova Scotia on 31 March 1950, and redesignated No 405 (Maritime Patrol) Sqn on 17 July 1956. The squadron was the first of four formed in Maritime Air Command. It flew modified Lancaster Mk. X aircraft until mid-1955, when they were replaced by P2V7 Lockheed Neptunes, which gave an enhanced anti-submarine capability. and the first to fly Lancaster, Neptune and Argus aircraft on East Coast maritime duty. In April 1958 the squadron was given the distinction of being the first to fly the Canadian-built CP-107 Argus. The squadron made its last flight in the Argus on 10 November 1980 before introducing the CP-140 Aurora. On 1 February 1968 the squadron was integrated into the Canadian Armed Forces. It is now designated No 405 Long Range Patrol Squadron, flying from Greenwood, NS.

The squadron’s primary combat functions are Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti-Surface (ASUW). The Squadron regularly trains for its roles by participating in a number of naval exercises at home and abroad. However, most of its time is taken up in a number of non-combat roles, including search and rescue and support to other government departments, including counter-drug operations with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and fisheries patrols with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Year-round, the Squadron carries out sovereignty patrols covering the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and maritime areas of interest . During these patrols, 405 LRPS crews maintain a constant vigil for ships that discharge pollutants illegal at sea. Similarly, its crews verify that foreign and Canadian fishing vessels abide by their Canadian licensing agreements and report suspected violators to DFO patrol boats.

405 LRPS regularly deploys to a number of allied bases for an assortment of exercises and missions. Among its international training sites are US NAS Keflavik (Iceland), US NAS Sigonella (Sicily, Italy), US NAS Oceana (Virginia, USA), US NAS Jacksonville (Florida, USA), US NAS Roosevelt Roads (Puerto Rico), UK RAF Kinloss (Moray, Scotland),UK RAF Station St. Mawgan (Cornwall, England) and NL NAS Valkenburg (Netherlands).

Unvetted Source Government of Canada RCAF Website