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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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427 Squadron Crest
06/07.09.1943 No. 427 Squadron Halifax V DK255 F/O. Edmond Pery-Knox-Gore

Operation: München

Date: 06/07th September 1943 (Monday/Tuesday)

Unit: No. 427 Squadron (RCAF)

Type: Halifax V

Serial: DK255

Code: ZL-?

Base: RAF Leeming, Yorkshire

Location: Epeautrolles, France

Pilot: F/O. Edmond Pery-Knox-Gore 121049 RAFVR Age 21. Killed

Fl/Eng: Sgt. John James Thomas 1384314 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

Nav: P/O. Harry Scott Thew 142371 RAFVR Age 29. Killed

Air/Bmr: Sgt. Philp Cyril Jones 1391954 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Elliott Eggleston Strong 1126658 RAFVR Age ? Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Stanley Lloyd 654033 RAF Age 23. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Alick Victor Douglas Humphries R/225311 RCAF Age 22. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off from RAF Leeming at 19:31 hrs to attack Munich. 257 Lancasters took part in this operation together with 147 Halifaxes. 

Above: area of operation with insert: F/O. Edmond Pery-Knox-Gore

Munich was covered in cloud this night - ground and sky markers were ineffective. Bombing was scattered over the southern and western parts of the city. No damage reports are available from Munich.

The allies lost some 19 aircraft on this operation, a total of 88 aircrew were killed, 29 being made PoW, a further 6 being injured (in the early hours) when a 9 Squadron Lancaster III ED975 WS-Y crashed at Minting, near Horncastle, Lincolnshire.

No details or night fighter claims for this Halifax which crashed on return from the target.

Also lost from 427 Squadron on this operation:

Halifax V LK628 Flown by 22 year old P/O. William Biggs DFM. 155227 RAFVR from Burton in Cheshire. He lost his life together with 4 other crew, 3 made PoW.

Sherborne School, Dorset - Any further information that you are able to assist them with fallen former pupils from all wars, we would be pleased to pass onto them. 

Burial details:

Understood to have first been buried at Chartres, reinterred as shown below after end of hostilities.

F/O. Edmond Pery-Knox-Gore. St. Desir War Cemetery, France. Grave: VII. B. 2. Further information with courtesy Sherborne School Archives: Son of Brigadier Arthur Francis Gore Pery Knox Gore, C.B., D.S.O., and of Evangeline Pery Knox Gore, of Westminster, London, England. (later of Heathfield, Brixham, South Devon) Born 4 August 1922. Attended Hordle House preparatory school, Milford-on-Sea. Attended Sherborne School (Westcott House) September 1936-July 1940.

Sgt. John James Thomas. St. Desir War Cemetery, France. Grave: VII. B. 12. Son of Ernest Thomas, and of Lilian Thomas, of Chelsea, London, England.

P/O. Harry Scott Thew. St. Desir War Cemetery, France. Grave: VII. B. 10. Son of Thomas William and Jane Thew, of Whittonstall, Co. Durham, England.

Sgt. Philp Cyril Jones. St. Desir War Cemetery, France. Grave: VII. B. 9. Son of George Philip and Eunice Jones, of New Malden, Surrey, England.

Sgt. Elliott Eggleston Strong. Epeautrolles Curchyard. Next of kin details unavailable, are you able to assist? 

Sgt. Stanley Lloyd. St. Desir War Cemetery, France. Grave: VII. B. 3. Son of Thomas Herbert and Ellen Lloyd, of Penrhiweeiber, Mountain Ash, Glamorgan, Wales.

Sgt. Alick Victor Douglas Humphries. St. Desir War Cemetery, France. Grave: VII. B. 11. From Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Next of kin details unavailable, are you able to assist? 

With thanks to Sherborne School Archives for additional information. For further details we researched with  sources shown below. Anyone requiring information where many of these fine publications are available, please dont hesitate to contact us.

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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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