Lillis, J C (Sergeant)

Prisoner of War 1945-January-02

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Birth Date: unkown date

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Service

RCAF

Unit

166 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Tenacity

Base

RAF Kirmington

Rank

Sergeant

Position

Air Gunner (Rear)

Service Numbers

R/274162

Target
Google MapNuremberg Germany

Took off from Kirmington at 14:55 in Lancaster Mk III (Sqn code: AS-M Bomber Command) on a bombing raid to Nuremburg.

Shot down by flak or a night fighter while over Germany. Six crew killed and one survivor POW when shot down.

Killed in the crash: Flight Sergeant Roy Styan Brown RAF KIA Durnbach War Cemetery Ref : Coll. grave 5. C. 5-8. Pilot Officer Richard Hugh Chittim RCAF J/90196 KIA Durnbach War Cemetery Ref : Coll. grave 5. C. 5-8. Sergeant William Joseph Morgan RCAF R/274063 KIA Durnbach War Cemetery Ref : Coll. grave 5. C. 5-8. W/O George Henry Pearson RAF KIA Durnbach War Cemetery Ref : Coll. grave 5. C. 5-8. Sergeant John Perry RAF KIA Durnbach War Cemetery Ref : Coll. grave 5. C. 5-8. Sergeant Jack David Jules Lucien Tarlton RAF KIA Durnbach War Cemetery.

Unit Desciption

166 (B) Sqn Tenacity (Huddersfield's Own)

No 166 Squadron RAF was originally formed at Bircham Newton, Norfolk on June 13, 1918, designed as a heavy bomber unit, to fly the Handley Page V/1500 aircraft. The squadron was never fully mobilized because the Armistice intervened. The squadron was re-formed in November 1936 as a heavy bomber unit, flying Handley Page Heyfords, later equipping with Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys. It was based at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire from November 1936 to January 1937, when it moved to Leconfield, Yorkshire. The squadron became part of an air observer's school on June 7, 1938, and then became a 1 Group pool squadron in May 1939. From September 1939 it was based at Abingdon, Berkshire until April 1940. In that month the squadron merged with no. 97 Squadron to form No. 10 OTU.

In January 1943 the squadron was re-formed at Kirmington, Yorkshire (53.578,-0.344, now Humberside Airport), from flights of Nos. 150 and 170 squadrons, when parts of these squadrons were posted to the Middle East. It was again bomber squadron, flying Vickers Wellingtons in No. 1 Group of Bomber Command. It remained at Kirmington until the end of WWII, later re-equipping with Avro Lancasters. In the period 27/28 January 1943 and 25 April 1945, it dropped 27,287 tons of bombs and laid 333 tons of mines. The squadron won "at least" 2 DSOs, 2 CGMs, 117 DFCs and 108 DFMs in the course of WWII. The squadron was disbanded on November 18, 1945.