Pettapiece, Manitoba
10 Squadron (Rem ACLA Tangere). Halifax aircraft MZ 474 was engaged in a trip to Neuss, Germany when it crashed in the U.S. section of the village of Zwier, Limburg, Holland. The W.O.A.G., FS A.G.T. Saunders was also killed. One Canadian, the navigator, Flying Officer G. Charley, and four of the crew, not Canadians, all bailed out to safety but were taken Prisoners of War. Flying Officer Kite's brother, Captain J.L. Kite provided the following details, "Graham was the eldest son in a family of four and was needed at home on the farm to help his father who had been seriously wounded in W.W.I. Like many sons of the region, he felt duty bound to serve his country as his father had done. Graham was sent to Brandon Manning depot in the winter of 1941 and then to Initial Training School in Saskatoon. As there was no immediate opening at a flying training school he approached his Commanding Officer and was granted an extended furlough so that he could go home and help his Dad on the farm. He completed his elementary flying training on October 8, 1942 with a total of 76 hours. Graham completed his service flying at Dauphin, were his Dad presented him his wings on February 18, 1943. Posted overseas he flew his first mission on May 12, 1944, and between June and August of 1944 went on missions to; Ferme D'Urville, Trappes, Mont Fleury, St Lo, Laval, Amiens, Blainville, St Martin L'Hortier, Croixdale, Thivery, Nucourt, Mont Candon, Vaires M/Y (Paris), Buttrop, Kiel, Stuttgart, Ferfay, Foret De Niep, Prouville, and Bois de Cassans. Graham flew his 31 first and last operation over Neuss, Germany. Their aircraft was hit and the crew was ordered to bail out. All jumped except Graham and the flight engineer. Graham tried to land the stricken aircraft and according to an eye witness nearly succeeded. The aircraft struck some high trees and was completely demolished. Graham and the flight engineer were killed instantly.
Cenotaph at Pettapiece Cemetery, rivers, Brandon Census Division, Manitoba, Canada
FAG lists death date as 1944-09-24
Kite, George Robert Graham (Flying Officer)
Killed in Action 1944-September-23
Birth Date: 1922-February-18
Born:
Parents: Son of George R. and Janette B. Kite, of Rapid City, Manitoba, Canada.
Spouse:
Home: Pettapiece, Manitoba
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RCAF
Unit
10 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Rem Acu Tangere To hit the mark
Base
Melbourne
Rank
Flying Officer
Position
Pilot
Service Numbers
J/87906
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Finadagrave.com
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)Crew or Other Personnel
Halifax MZ574
Unit Desciption
10 (B) Sqn Rem Acu Tangere (Blackburn's Own)
No 10 Squadron RFC was originally formed at Farnborough, Hampshire on January 1, 1915. It served on the Western Front in WWI, transferring to the RAF when the latter was formed in 1918. The squadron returned to England in February 1919 and was disbanded on December 31.
The squadron was re-formed as a heavy bomber unit in January 1928. A heavy-bomber unit, it flew Handley-Page Hyderabads, followed by Hinaidis and then Heyfords through the 1930s. By the time that WWII started, the squadron was equipped with Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley aircraft. Operating from Dishforth, Yorkshire, it took part in a number of leaflet raids over Germany, including being the first RAF aircraft to drop leaflets over Berlin on 1/2 October 1939. Detachments of the Squadron were based in France (Villeneuve) and Scotland (Kinloss), between October 1939 and March 1940, the latter being with Coastal Command. The squadron's first bombing raid was on the night of 19/20 March, 1940, attacking the German mining seaplane base at Hornum, on the island of Sylt. When Italy entered the war in June 1940, the squadron flew from Guernsey in the Channel Islands to attack targets in Italy.
In July 1940 the squadron moved to the nearby base of Leeming, Yorkshire, where it remained until August 1942. From December 1942 the squadron was re-equipped with Halifax aircraft. In the first quarter of 1942, There were detachments to Lossiemouth, Scotland, for operations against the battleship Tirpitz, which at that time was based near Trondheim, Norway. It was on one of these operations, on the night of 27/28 April that the squadron commander. W/C D.C.T. Bennett, was shot down, but he and his crew escaped to Sweden and were interned and subsequently returned to England. W/C (later Air Vice Marshal) Bennet subsequently was appointed to form and lead the Pathfinder Force, which became No. 8 Group of Bomber Command. From June 1942 a detachment of the squadron (16 aircraft and crews) moved to Palestine and then to Egypt, operating against Tobruk. This detachment then combined with No. 6/462 squadron to form No.462 (RAAF) Squadron in September 1942. The main No. 10 Squadron continued to operate with No. 4 Group, Bomber Command from Leeming at this time, but then moved to Melbourne, Yorkshire in August 1942, where it remained until May 1945. It was transferred to Transport Command on May 7, 1945 and disbanded on December 20 1947. It later was re-formed and flew Canberras and Victors.