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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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RAF Crest
25/26.06.1942 15 OTU Wellington IC DV737 Plt Off. David Evans

Operation: Bremen

Date: 25th/26th June 1942 (Thursday/Friday)

Unit No: 15 Operational Training Unit (OTU)

Type: Wellington IC

Serial: DV737

Code: - ?

Base: RAF Harwell, Oxfordshire (1942 - Berkshire)

Location: Sebaldsbruck, Bremen

Pilot: Plt Off. David Christopher Evans 118100 RAFVR Age 20 .KiA

2nd Pilot: Sgt. Ronald Idris Coffin 1216731 RAFVR Age 19. KiA

Obs: Sgt. Thomas Phillip Morgan 656079 RAF Age 24. KiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. Alfred George Leyland 1311606 RAFVR Age 28. KiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. Michael Sweeney 1118157 RAFVR Age 21. KiA

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. J. McRewin Kennedy 632065 RAF Age? KiA


We would appreciate other relatives contacting us as the researcher of this page and the house owner would like to hear further from you.


REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from RAF Harwell, Oxfordshire (then Berkshire) at 22.41 hrs. The targets included the Focke-Wulf factory, A.G. Wesser shipyard, Deschimag shipyard and general areas within the town and other dock areas.

Above: Plt Off. David Evans as a trainee

Damage to the factory was not as successful as had been planned with just one assembly shop destroyed, a further six building within the complex seriously damaged eleven others less so.

Another Wellington from 15 OTU was also lost on this operation - all crew killed. Details described on this website.

DV737 was hit by flak from 1.-3./schw. Flak Abt. 611, 3./Res. Flak Abt. 222 and 5./Res. Flak Abt. 334 (III. Aug). The aircraft crashed into the Schlosspark at Bremen-Sebaldsbrück at 02:05 hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (30 May - 31 December 1942) The Early Years Part 3 - Theo Boiten).

RAF records state that DV737 had been hit by flak at around 7,000 ft. at 01.45 hrs with the aircraft exploding. Parts of the Wellington hit a house on Stoevesand Strasse in Sebaldsbruck, Bremen, with the loss of all six crew members on board.

Christopher Pegler, nephew of the pilot, wrote to the current owner of the house, now 82 years, then 12, remembers it well. He sent us a newspaper cutting that his father had, and some photos from the German records, showing the house after the crash.

Photographs of the crash site and also German report at the time. (courtesy Christopher Pegler and friends in Bremen)

The photo from the front where a parachute (apparently covering the crew) can be seen and from the rear showing a rose trellis, part of the forward turret and machine gun. The cutting shows the tail and engine. The tail was about 100 metres away, indicating the plane must have exploded in mid-air. The cockpit portion (with 4 of the crew) was on the house, and another crew member was found in a neighbouring garden.

Area of operations (courtesy Google and Christopher's contacts in Bremen)

Burial details:

The crew were originally buried by the Germans with full military honours at the Waller Cemetery, near Bremen, Germany.

Above: Crew graves at Becklingen War Cemetery (courtesy Christopher Pegler and friends in Bremen)

Above Left: Grave marker for Plt Off. David Christopher Evans, right: Family headstone at the churchyard of Saints Peter and Paul church, Ewhurst, Surrey. (Courtesy of the IVM and © david Ayling (WMR-76037)

Plt Off. David Christopher Evans. Becklingen War Cemetery. Grave 25.G.13. Youngest son of Charles and Rose Evans of Ewhurst, Surrey, England.

Sgt. Ronald Idris Coffin. Becklingen War Cemetery. Coll. Grave 26.H.7A-10A. Inscription: 'A MEMORY THAT WILL NEVER FADE'.Son of Albert and Mary Coffin, of Chester, England.

Sgt. Thomas Phillip Morgan. Becklingen War Cemetery. Grave 25.H.6. Inscription: 'HE DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE'. Son of James Morgan, and of Florence Morgan, of Margam, Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales.

Sgt. Alfred George Leyland. Becklingen War Cemetery. Grave 26.H.7. Inscription: 'IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY DEAR HUSBAND. PARTED BUT NOT FORGOTTEN'. Son of John Hornby Leyland and Cissie Leyland; husband of Nellie Leyland, of Rock Ferry, Cheshire, England.

Sgt. Michael Sweeney. Becklingen War Cemetery. Grave 26.H.5. Inscription: 'MAY HE REST IN PEACE. R.I.P.' Son of Michael and Mary Sweeney, of Lochgelly, Fife, Scotland.

Sgt. J. McRewin Kennedy. Becklingen War Cemetery. Coll. Grave 26.H.7A-10A. Inscription: 'LOVING AND KIND IN ALL HIS WAYS, UPRIGHT AND JUST TO THE END OF HIS DAYS'. Son of Roy McKewin Kennedy, and Elsie Kennedy, of Tottenham, Middlesex, England

Researched with information from Christopher Pegler, nephew of the pilot, together with his friends living in Bremen. Christopher has informed us that his contacts in Bremen provided much of the information. With thanks to Christopher Pegler, nephew of the pilot, Plt Off. David Christopher Evans for information and superb series of photographs. Thanks to Richard Maddox for the link to the family headstone for the Evan's family (Jun 2023).

Other sources listed below:

RS 22.06.2023 - Update and addition of family headstone for Plt Off. David Evans

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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and MWO François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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