Westwood, Jack Arthur (Warrant Officer 2)

Prisoner of War Early Release 1942-July-24

Male Head

Birth Date: unkown date

Born:

Parents:

Spouse:

Home: Toronto, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

9 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Per Noctem Volamus Through out the night we fly

Base

RAF Honington

Rank

Warrant Officer 2

Position

Observer/Air Gunner (Nose)

Service Numbers

R/105057
PoW: 6451

Home

Toronto, Ontario

Target

Duisburg Germany

The Winnipeg Tribune November 9, 1943

The Geneva Convention made provision for the repatriation of all Prisoners of War, even during hostilities. It was only possible for the British and Germans to reach agreement over the seriously ill and disabled. For the majority of the 40,000 British servicemen who were taken prisoner in 1939 and 1940, the war was to be a very long and dispiriting experience. Negotiations, conducted through the Red Cross, over the repatriation of seriously wounded men, had begun in late 1940. They did not progress very far because there were far fewer German men in this category than British. It was only after substantial numbers of Germans were taken prisoner in the Desert campaign of 1942 that the talks resumed. The actual exchange of prisoners did not take place until October 1943. Ullapool Museum, Ullapool, Scotland

unvetted Source The Manchester Guardian, 1943-October-19 page 5

Footprints on the Sands of Time, RAF Bomber Command Prisoners of War in Germany 1939-45 by Oliver Clutton-Brock, page 432

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Crew or Other Personnel

Wellington Z1577

Flying Officer Henry Ernest Brown RAFVR

Flying Officer Brown, Henry Ernest (RAFVR)
Pilot
Killed in Action
1942-July-24
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Germany

Pilot Officer Norman Jefferies RAFVR

Pilot Officer Jefferies, Norman (RAFVR)
Navigator
Prisoner of War
1942-July-24
cemetery unknown

Flight Sergeant Alfred Frank Chilvers Ratcliff RCAF

Flight Sergeant Ratcliff, Alfred Frank Chilvers (RCAF)
Air Gunner (Rear)
Prisoner of War KIA
1942-July-24
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Germany

Flight Lieutenant George Burton Smith RCAF

Flight Lieutenant Smith, George Burton (RCAF)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Prisoner of War
1942-July-24
cemetery unknown

Warrant Officer 2 Jack Arthur Westwood RCAF

Warrant Officer 2 Westwood, Jack Arthur (RCAF)
Observer/Air Gunner (Nose)
Prisoner of War Early Release
1942-July-24
cemetery unknown

Mission

Wellington Mk. III Z1577

Bombing Duisburg Germany 1942-July-24 to 1942-July-24

9 (B) Sqn (RAF) RAF Honington

9 Squadron (Per Noctem Volemus), RAF Honington. Wellington III aircraft Z 1577 WS-T was shot down by heavy flak during an operation against targets in Duisburg, Germany and crashed near Wetten, Kevelaer, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, Flight Sergeant Alfred Frank Chilvers Ratcliff (RCAF) and Pilot, Flying Officer Henry Ernest Brown (RAFVR) were killed in action

Pilot Officer George Burton Smith (RCAF), Sergeant Jack Arthur Westwood (RCAF), Sergeant Alfred Frank Chilvers Ratcliff (RCAF) and Pilot Officer Norman Jefferies (RAFVR) all survived to become Prisoners of War. However, the severely wounded Sergeant Ratcliff would die from his wounds while a prisoner

unvetted Source Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database

unvetted Source Aviation Safety Network

Wellington serial: Z1577

Source: Harold A Skaarup Web Page
Vickers Wellington B. Mk. III (Serial No. X3763), coded KW-E, No. 425 'Alouette' (B) Squadron, RCAF, late summer of 1942

The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson, a key feature of the aircraft is its geodetic airframe fuselage structure, which was principally designed by Barnes Wallis. Development had been started in response to Air Ministry Specification B.9/32, issued in the middle of 1932, for a bomber for the Royal Air Force. This specification called for a twin-engined day bomber capable of delivering higher performance than any previous design.

The Wellington was used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, performing as one of the principal bombers used by Bomber Command. During 1943, it started to be superseded as a bomber by the larger four-engined "heavies" such as the Avro Lancaster. The Wellington continued to serve throughout the war in other duties, particularly as an anti-submarine aircraft.

It holds the distinction of having been the only British bomber that was produced for the duration of the war, and of having been produced in a greater quantity than any other British-built bomber. The Wellington remained as first-line equipment when the war ended, although it had been increasingly relegated to secondary roles. The Wellington was one of two bombers named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, the other being the Vickers Wellesley.

In August 1936, an initial order for 180 Wellington Mk I aircraft, powered by a pair of 1,050 hp (780 kW) Bristol Pegasus radial engines, was received by Vickers; it had been placed so rapidly that the order occurred prior to the first meeting intended to decide the details of the production aircraft. In October 1937, another order for a further 100 Wellington Mk Is, produced by the Gloster Aircraft Company, was issued; it was followed by an order for 100 Wellington Mk II aircraft with Rolls-Royce Merlin X V12 engines. Yet another order was placed for 64 Wellingtons produced by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. With this flurry of order and production having been assured by the end of 1937, Vickers set about simplifying the manufacturing process of the aircraft and announced a target of building one Wellington per day.

A total of 180 Wellington Mk I aircraft were built; 150 for the RAF and 30 for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) (which were transferred to the RAF on the outbreak of war and used by 75 Squadron). In October 1938, the Mk I entered service with 9 Squadron. The Wellington was initially outnumbered by the Handley Page Hampden (also ordered by the Ministry to B.9/32) and the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley (to B.34/3 for a 'night' bomber) but outlasted both rival aircraft in service. The Wellington went on to be built in 16 separate variants, in addition to two training conversions after the war. The number of Wellingtons built totalled 11,462 of all versions, a greater quantity produced than any other British bomber. On 13 October 1945, the last Wellington to be produced rolled out. Wikipedia

Wikipedia Vickers Wellington