McEachern, Gerard Joseph (Warrant Officer I)

Killed in Action 1943-May-19

Warrant Officer I Gerard Joseph McEachern RCAF

Birth Date: 1921

Born:

Parents:

Spouse:

Home: Regina, Saskatchewan

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

489 (TB) Sqn- Squadron (RNZAF)

Base

Wick

Rank

Warrant Officer I

Position

Navigator

Service Numbers

R/61464

Home
Google MapRegina, Saskatchewan
Target
Google Map Norway
Memorial Location
Google MapRunnymede Memorial Surrey
Panel 179

489 Squadron RNZAF (Whakatanagata kia kaha) RAF Wick (Coastal Command). Hampden Tbi aircraft P 2084 was shot down into the sea off Norway while on an anti-shipping patrol. Cause of loss not established

Warrant Officer Class 1 GJ McEachern (RCAF), FS RW Easton (RAFVR) and FS EM Whitsed (RCAFR) were all missing, presumed killed in action

The missing nave no known grave and are commemorated on the Runnymede War Memorial

FS JR Keeping (RCAF) was killed in action

FS Keeping's body was recovered and is buried in Norway

Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Hampden serial: P2084

(RCAF Photo via Chris Charland)(Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page)
Handley Page Hampden (Serial No. P5428), of No. 32 Operational Training Unit at RCAF Patricia Bay, British Columbia, in the torpedo-bomber training role between May 1942 and February 1944.

Handley Page developed a modern stressed-skin mid-wing monoplane, powered by Bristol Pegasus radial air cooled engines, with its first flight in 1936. It had the most advanced wings available at the time, giving it a remarkably low landing speed of 73 mph for an aircraft of its size, with a top speed of 265 mph. The Hampden had a short, narrow but tall main fuselage with a very slender tail unit. This configuration led to the nicknames "Flying Panhandle" and "Flying Suitcase". At the end of the war, no complete or partial Hampden aircraft were retained for museum display.

The Hampden served in the early stages of the war, bearing the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and in the first 1000-bomber raid on Cologne. In Canada, Hampdens were built by six companies that formed Associated Aircraft. There were three in Ontario and three in Quebec, hence they were identified as the Ontario Group and Quebec Group. They supplied all the the components to the two assembly plants. The Ontario Group's assembly plant was at the Malton Airport, while the Quebec group's assembly plant was at the St. Hubert Airport. Canadian Museum of Flight and Harold A Skaarup web page

YouTube Handley Page Hampden in Flight

Wikipedia Wikipedia Hampden Bomber

unvetted Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Kestrel Publications Hampden - Kestrel Publications