Owen, John Griffith (Flight Lieutenant)
Killed in Flying Accident 1943-October-13
Birth Date: 1915-May-16
Born: Ladysmith, Natal, South Africa
Parents: Son of David Griffith and Olive Eveline Owen of Winklespruit, Natal
Spouse:
Home: Winklespruit, Natal
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Decorations: DFC
Service
RAFVR
Unit
45 Group (RAF)
Base
RAF Transport Command, Nassau, Bahamas.
Rank
Flight Lieutenant
Position
Pilot
Service Numbers
80066
Winklespruit, Natal
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Findagrave.com
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)Crew or Other Personnel
Marauder FB454
Mission
Marauder IIIB FB454
Aircraft Ferrying 1943-October-13 to 1943-October-13
45 () Group (RAF) Nassau, Bahamas
45 Group, RAF Transport Command, Nassau, Bahamas. Marauder II aircraft FB 454, on a training flight with a crew comprised of four pilots, caught fire and crashed into the sea one mile west of Windsor Field, Nassau, Bahamas
Flying Officer DW Cormack (RCAF) and Flying Officer D Durward (RAFVR), Flying Officer RH Barber (RAFVR) and Flight Lieutenant JG Owen DFC (RAFVR)(SA) were killed in this flying accident
The bodies of of Flying Officer Barber and Flight Lieutenant Owen were recovered and are buried in the Nassau War Cemetery
Flying Officer Cormack and Flying Officer Durward were missing, believed killed and have no known grave
The missing are commemorated on the Ottawa Memorial
Ocean Bridge, The History of RAF Ferry Command by Carl A Christie page 321
[Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...
Assisbiz USAAF serial no 41-35463 Martin B-26C-30-MO Marauder
Marauder serial: FB454
Martin Marauder Mk. I, RAF (Serial No. FK375), coded D, "Dominion Revenge", No. 14 Squadron, based at Fayid, Egypt, 28 Dec 1942. This aircraft was lost during a torpedo attack off Aghios Giorgios Island on 3 Jan 1943.
Martin B-26 Marauder Mk. I, IA, II, III, RAF. Only two RAF squadrons were equipped with the Marauder, both in the Desert Air Force, and only one Marauder squadron was ever active at any one time. The RAF received three B-26As for evaluation in the summer of 1942 and decided to adopt the type for tactical work in North Africa. Forty eight Marauder Is and IAs already allocated under lend lease were sent directly to the Middle East, where they were used by No.14 Squadron.
In RAF and Commonwealth service the B-26A was known as the Marauder Mk. I, the B-26B as the Marauder Mk. IA. A total of 52 Mk Is and IAs were received. The 250 B-26Fs delivered were known as the Marauder Mk. II and the 150 B-26Gs became the Marauder Mk. III. The Mk. I/IA and Mk. III were flown by the RAF while the South African Air Force (SAAF) received the Mk. II and Mk. III.
The only RAF squadrons to use the Marauder were Nos. 14 and 39 Squadrons of the Desert Air Force. No.14 was the first to receive the type in August 1942. Operations began on 28 October 1942 and the squadron used its Marauders for bombing, mine laying and shipping reconnaissance. In March 1943 the squadron moved to Algeria, where it began flying anti-submarine patrols. These continued after the squadron moved to Sardinia in June 43, and the last Marauder mission was flown on 21 September 1944, just before the squadron returned to the UK to convert to the Wellington.
No. 39 Squadron RAF acquired Marauders in December 1944, but the first Marauder mission wasn't flown until 7 February 1945. The squadron carried out shipping strikes along the French, Italian and Balkan coasts, alongside night intruder missions, and retained the Marauder until October 1945 when it moved to the Sudan. Harold Skaarup web page
Marauder
Wikipedia Marauder