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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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Bomber Command Crest
04/05.04.1945 No. 406 Squadron Mosquito NF30 NT495 Fl/Lt. Thomas W. Trewin

Operation: Night Intruder

Date: 4/5th April 1945 Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit: No. 406 RCAF Lynx Squadron

Type: Mosquito NF30

Serial: NT495

Code: HU-C

Base: RAF Manston, Kent

Location: Unknown

Pilot: Fl/Lt Thomas William Trewin J/8643 RCAF Age 26. Missing - believed killed (1)

Navigator Fl/Lt John Ballantyne Kennedy J/20410 RCAF Age 23. Missing - believed killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Flight Lieutenant’s Trewin and Kennedy had been with 406 squadron since October of 1943 and were close to completing their tour of operations when they were lost.

Copy of the ORB (Courtesy of the History of Manston Airfield Website)

"Other sorties were uneventful by a very grievous loss was suffered when Fl/Lt. Trewin and Fl/Lt. Kennedy failed to return. This crew had been with the Squadron since October 1943 and were within a few days of finishing their tour. With the Squadron they had made forty eight operational sorties, including seventeen intruder flights on which they had damaged or destroyed six trains and a motor transport. Their personalities will be greatly missed in the Squadron life. Fl/Lt. Trewin was Deputy Flight Commander, "A" Flight".


On the 4th Fl/Lt. Trewin and Fl/Lt Kennedy, who had been with the squadron since October, 1943, and were almost tour-expired, failed to return from a mission to the Altenburg area area after taking off at 23:35 hrs.

They had destroyed or damaged six trains and a transport on intruder operations with the squadron. The team had had several successes against enemy targets including the destruction of six railway trains.

After leaving school, Fl/Lt. Trewin was employed by a bank until he enlisted in the air force in 1941.

(1) Trewin Lake north of Nejanilini Lake was renamed after Fl/Lt Thomas William Trewin in 1974


Burial Details:

Fl/Lt. Thomas William Trewin. Runnymede Memorial Panel 278. Son of Walter W. and Evelyn A. Trewin, of Bradwardine, Manitoba, Canada.

Fl/Lt. John Ballantyne Kennedy. Runnymede Memorial Panel 278. Son of Revd. Thomas Elmer Kennedy and Anna Louette Kennedy of Rodney, Ontario, Canada.

Researched by Aircrew Remembered, researcher and RCAF specialist Colin Bamford for relatives of this crew. With thanks to Jack Brook for correction of aircraft code in January 2016.

We are grateful to the Manston Airfield Website who provided further details in April 2018.



CHB 14.09.2010
KTY 10.02.2016 Aircraft code updated, with thanks to Jack Brook
CHB 17.02.2020 Link to Commemorative Feature added

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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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