FAG has date of birth listed as 1920-01-20
Main, Lennox Cameron (Pilot Officer)
Killed in Action 1943-October-03
Birth Date: 1920-January-12
Born: Abbey, Saskatchewan
Parents: Norman Percival & Blanche Freeman Main
Spouse:
Home: Abbey, Saskatchewan (parents)
Enlistment: Regina, Saskatchewan
Enlistment Date: 1941-July-25
Service
RCAF
Unit
431 (B) Sqn- Squadron
The Hatiten Ronteriios Warriors of the Air: Iroquois
Base
RAF Tholthorpe
Rank
Pilot Officer
Position
Air Gunner
Service Numbers
J/18896
Prev: R/114861
Target
Kassel Germany
Temporary Burial
Cemetery Atst Vith, Belgium
Remains were later exhumed from this location and reburied
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Finadagrave.com
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)Crew or Other Personnel
Halifax LK925
Mission
Halifax B/A/Met.Mk.V LK925
Bombing Kassel Germany 1943-October-03 to 1943-October-03
(B) Sqn (RCAF) Tholthorpe
Battle of Berlin
547 aircraft- 223 Halifaxes, 204 Lancasters, I 13 Stirlings, 7 Mosquitoes. 24 aircraft- 14 Halifaxes, 6 Stirlings, 4 Lancasters - lost, 4·4 per cent of the force.
This raid did not proceed according to plan. The H2S 'blind marker' aircraft overshot the aiming point badly and the 'visual markers' could not correct this because their view of the ground was restricted by thick haze. German decoy markers may also have been present. The main weight of the attack thus fell on the western suburbs and outlying towns and villages. But, even so, large fires were started at both the Henschel and Fieseler aircraft factories, at the city's main hospital and at several other important buildings. The eastern suburb of Wolfshanger was devastated, Kassel's casualties were 118 dead - 68 civilians, 12 military and 38 foreigners - and 304 injured. Musgrove, in his excellent book Pathfinder Force,* records that a large ammunition dump at Ihringshausen, just north of Wolfshanger, was hit by a chance bomb load and the resulting explosions attracted further bombs; photographs taken later showed 84 buildings at the military location destroyed and a great mass of craters. The outlying townships of Bettenhausen and Sandershausen were also severely hit but details for these places are not available.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Halifax aircraft LK925 lost during operations against Kassel, Germany. W/O 2nd cl, G.J.Crebbin, Sergeant C. Wardrope and Pilot Officer L.C. Main were killed. Three Canadians, WOs. Reynoldson, Cudmore, and Sergeant Depape taken Prisoners of War, one of the crew, not Canadian, missing believed killed.
Unit Desciption
431 (B) Sqn The Hatiten Ronteriios ("Iroquois")
History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Wellington X, Halifax V, III, Lancaster X)
The Squadron was formed in November 1942 as the RCAF's 11th bomber squadron to be formed overseas, at Burn, Yorkshire, UK , as a bomber unit of No 4 Group of RAF Bomber Command. With squadron code letters SE it flew Vickers Wellington Mk X aircraft. In July 1943 it moved to Tholthorpe, Yorkshire , to become part of No 6 (RCAF) Group, at the same time re-equipping with Handley Page Halifax Mk V bombers. It moved again in December 1943 to become part of No 64 (RCAF) Base at Croft, Yorkshire , where it remained until the end of the war. Another change of aircraft, to Halifax Mk. III was made in March of 1944, and finally the squadron was equipped with Canadian-built Avro Lancaster Mk X aircraft from October 1944. After the termination of hostilities in Europe, it was earmarked to form part of the Tiger Force to attack Japan and left for Canada in June 1945. The Japanese surrender following the dropping of the atomic bombs made Tiger Force redundant, and the squadron was disbanded at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in September of 1945.
In the course of operations the squadron flew 2584 sorties (including 11 bringing PoWs back to England) at a cost of 72 aircraft destroyed. Approximately 14000 tons of bombs were dropped. Aircrew awards were 1 DSO, 63 DFCs, 10 DFMs, 2 CGMs and 1 MiD. Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1943-44, Baltic 1943-44, Fortress Europe 1943-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1943-44, Ruhr 1943-45, Berlin 1943-44, German Ports 1943-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1944.Moyes, Kostenuk and Griffin
Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)
Maps for Movements of 431 Squadron 1942-45
MAP 1: 431 Squadron Bases 1942-45 (marked in green). Right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab
431 Squadron History Summary 1942-45
History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Tutor)
No. 431 (Fighter) Squadron re-formed at RCAF Station Bagotville, Quebec on 18 January 1954, using the new Canadair Sabre. The squadron was formed on a temporary basis until there were enough new CF-100s available to fulfill RCAF squadron needs. No. 431's duties included aerial combat training and displaying the capabilities of jet operations to the public at air shows: the team from No. 431 Squadron consisted of four Sabres and a solo aircraft. This was the first Sabre team to be authorized to perform formation aerobatics in Canada. 431 squadron was disbanded on 1 October 1954.
In 1969, Colonel O.B. Philp, base commander of CFB Moose Jaw and former leader of the defunct Golden Centennaires aerobatic team, considered using several of the leftover Golden Centennaire CT-114 Tutor aircraft for another team. These Tutors were still fitted for aerobatic flying. Philp, at this point, did not receive approval to form the new team; however, approval had been given for single Tutors to provide simple flypasts at local football games. To further the cause of an aerobatic team, Philp began informal enhanced formation practice for the instructors at 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School with the aim of providing multi-aircraft flypasts at special events. In 1970, four-aircraft formations began providing flypasts at fairs and festivals, as well as Armed Forces Day at CFB Moose Jaw . In July 1970, a white Tutor was introduced to the formation for flypasts. Four white Tutors were finally flown together at the Abbotsford Air Show, followed by a flypast in Winnipeg. Known as the "2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School Formation Team", or informally as the "Tutor Whites", the team grew in size to seven aircraft in 1971 using eleven pilots, and gradually gained recognition. Formation flypasts were replaced with more complicated manoeuvres, and more aircraft were added as the team matured. A contest to give the air demonstration team a formal name was held at Bushell Park Elementary School at CFB Moose Jaw, and resulted in the name "Snowbirdsâ€, which was formally adopted on 25 June 1971. The Snowbirds were officially authorized to be designated the "Canadian Forces Air Demonstration Team" on 15 January 1975, and were formed into their own squadron by reactivating 431 Squadron (renamed 431 Air Demonstration Squadron) on 1 April 1978. .Wikipedia
And the rest is history……………………
Halifax LK925 B/A/Met.Mk.V - Bombing Kassel Germany - 1943-10-03 to 1943-10-03
Squadron: (B) Sqn (RCAF)
Start Date: 1943-10-03
Completion Date: 1943-10-03
Mission: Bombing
Operation: Battle of Berlin
Target City: Kassel Germany
Target Specific:
Base: Tholthorpe
Take Off Time: 18.44
Squadron Code: SE R
Radio Code:
Return Base:
Return Time:
Crash City: near St-Vith, Belgium
Crash Specifics:
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason: fighter
Flak Battery:
Enemy Claim:
War Diary Unavailable
6 Group Unavailable
6 Group Unavailable
547 aircraft- 223 Halifaxes, 204 Lancasters, I 13 Stirlings, 7 Mosquitoes. 24 aircraft- 14 Halifaxes, 6 Stirlings, 4 Lancasters - lost, 4·4 per cent of the force.
This raid did not proceed according to plan. The H2S 'blind marker' aircraft overshot the aiming point badly and the 'visual markers' could not correct this because their view of the ground was restricted by thick haze. German decoy markers may also have been present. The main weight of the attack thus fell on the western suburbs and outlying towns and villages. But, even so, large fires were started at both the Henschel and Fieseler aircraft factories, at the city's main hospital and at several other important buildings. The eastern suburb of Wolfshanger was devastated, Kassel's casualties were 118 dead - 68 civilians, 12 military and 38 foreigners - and 304 injured. Musgrove, in his excellent book Pathfinder Force,* records that a large ammunition dump at Ihringshausen, just north of Wolfshanger, was hit by a chance bomb load and the resulting explosions attracted further bombs; photographs taken later showed 84 buildings at the military location destroyed and a great mass of craters. The outlying townships of Bettenhausen and Sandershausen were also severely hit but details for these places are not available.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Halifax aircraft LK925 lost during operations against Kassel, Germany. W/O 2nd cl, G.J.Crebbin, Sergeant C. Wardrope and Pilot Officer L.C. Main were killed. Three Canadians, WOs. Reynoldson, Cudmore, and Sergeant Depape taken Prisoners of War, one of the crew, not Canadian, missing believed killed.
