97 Squadron Association

This page contains photographs of gravestones and cemeteries relating to various 97 Squadron personnel who gave their lives.

(Above) The two headstones above are those of two 97 Squadron air gunners who were killed in action on 23rd September 1943 when their Lancaster was shot down by a German night fighter. Sqn Ldr "Red" McKinna DFC & Bar and Flt Sgt Harry Page are both buried in the Rheinberg War Cemetery.

(Below) The following photographs were taken by Olivier Housseaux and kindly sent by Ian Vanner. They relate to the loss of Lancaster PB200 OF - G which took off from Coningsby on the night of 10th November 1944 to take part in a training exercise over France to familiarise the crew with the use of the LORAN navigation equipment. The aircraft crashed at about 10.25pm at Cernay-en-Dormois. All eight members of the crew were killed.

(Above) The entrance to Clichy New Communal Cemetery where the crew of PB200 are laid to rest.

(Above) The headstone at the joint grave of Sgt Ace (flight engineer) and Flg Off Farish (bomb aimer)

(Above) The headstone at the joint grave of Flying Officers Negus (mid upper gunner) and Peters (pilot)

(Below) The headstone at the joint grave of Sergeants Piper (wireless operator) and Saunders (navigator)

(Above) The headstone at the joint grave of F/Sgt Welham (bomb aimer) and Sgt Worley (rear gunner)

(Below) This is another photograph taken at Clichy Communal Cemetery, although this was taken shortly after the loss of Sqn Ldr Leatherland and his crew on 21st April 1944. The centre of the three crosses marks the joint grave of Flying Officer Drawbridge (navigator), F/Sgt Fraser (bomb aimer), Sgt McAllister (wireless operator), Warrant Officer Muckhart DFC (mid upper gunner) and Flying Officer Eaton (rear gunner). The single crosses either side mark the graves of Sqn Ldr Leatherland AFC (pilot) and Sgt Rimmer (flight engineer)

(Above) This photo was sent by our good friend, Lynn Berry from Canada, who attended the dedication service for the 97 Squadron stained glass window in the chapel at RAF Coningsby on 2nd October 2005. This photo is of Malbork Cemetery in Poland and shows the graves of F/Lt C.W.Miller, Sgt J.Forsyth, Sgt A.T.Grossmith, P/O J.N.Eslick, F/O R.J.Westgate RCAF, Sgt N.L.Smith RAAF and F/Sgt A.E.Nickerson RCAF. F/Lt Miller was a New Zealander who enlisted in the RAF. The Crew were shot down on the night of 11th/12th July 1942 over the target area at Danzig when they were taking part in an attack against the German submarine pens located there F/O Jackie Westgate was the brother of Jean Berry, Lynn's Mum, who also attended the dedication service at Coningsby and the reunion dinner.

(Above) These two photos of Amsterdam New Eastern Cemetery were sent by Henry Izatt, whose cousin was Sgt James Izatt, a 97 Squadron flight engineer. Sgt Izatt was killed on the night of 17th/18th December 1942 (along with the other six members of his crew) when their aircraft was shot down over the Netherlands by a German night fighter. Sgt Izatt's grave and those of three other crew members can be seen in the bottom photo. The graves have been looked after by three generations of Norman Jansen's family in the Netherlands.

(Below) John Endley with his wife and daughter at the grave of his uncle, Sgt Harold Endley. The inscription at the bottom of the headstone contains words chosen by Harold Endley's mother: -

Harold Endley was the eldest of 6 children, and his mother never got over his sad death.

Norm Crouch (pictured left outside Buckingham Palace with his brother) passed away peacefully at home in Greeensborough, Australia on 8th July 2003 when just short of his 83rd birthday.

Norm flew with 97 Squadron and completed 36 sorties, mostly over the Ruhr and western Germany. A lovely, quiet man who, with his brother Warrant Officer S.Crouch (also a pilot, who flew with 467 Squadron) came over to Britain during the Second World War to defend 'our freedom'.

(Below) The final resting place of Flying Officer Robert Mooney DFM at Rheinberg War Cemetery.


	About 97 Squadron: The Association History Reunions What's New! ------------------------- Abbreviations Aircrews Avro Lancaster Flight Ops. Gallery Groundcrews Lancaster Codes/Call Signs Lancaster PB409 The 97 Dambusters Logbooks Losses Memorial Navigator's Story To be updated Pause For Thought People Poetry RAF Bourn Thorpe Camp WAAF 97 Sqn Books ------------------------- Contact us Links HOME -------------------------			Memorial This page contains photographs of gravestones and cemeteries relating to various 97 Squadron personnel who gave their lives. (Above) The two headstones above are those of two 97 Squadron air gunners who were killed in action on 23rd September 1943 when their Lancaster was shot down by a German night fighter. Sqn Ldr "Red" McKinna DFC & Bar and Flt Sgt Harry Page are both buried in the Rheinberg War Cemetery. (Below) The following photographs were taken by Olivier Housseaux and kindly sent by Ian Vanner. They relate to the loss of Lancaster PB200 OF - G which took off from Coningsby on the night of 10th November 1944 to take part in a training exercise over France to familiarise the crew with the use of the LORAN navigation equipment. The aircraft crashed at about 10.25pm at Cernay-en-Dormois. All eight members of the crew were killed. (Above) The entrance to Clichy New Communal Cemetery where the crew of PB200 are laid to rest. (Above) The headstone at the joint grave of Sgt Ace (flight engineer) and Flg Off Farish (bomb aimer) (Above) The headstone at the joint grave of Flying Officers Negus (mid upper gunner) and Peters (pilot) (Below) The headstone at the joint grave of Sergeants Piper (wireless operator) and Saunders (navigator) (Above) The headstone at the joint grave of F/Sgt Welham (bomb aimer) and Sgt Worley (rear gunner) (Below) This is another photograph taken at Clichy Communal Cemetery, although this was taken shortly after the loss of Sqn Ldr Leatherland and his crew on 21st April 1944. The centre of the three crosses marks the joint grave of Flying Officer Drawbridge (navigator), F/Sgt Fraser (bomb aimer), Sgt McAllister (wireless operator), Warrant Officer Muckhart DFC (mid upper gunner) and Flying Officer Eaton (rear gunner). The single crosses either side mark the graves of Sqn Ldr Leatherland AFC (pilot) and Sgt Rimmer (flight engineer) (Above) This photo was sent by our good friend, Lynn Berry from Canada, who attended the dedication service for the 97 Squadron stained glass window in the chapel at RAF Coningsby on 2nd October 2005. This photo is of Malbork Cemetery in Poland and shows the graves of F/Lt C.W.Miller, Sgt J.Forsyth, Sgt A.T.Grossmith, P/O J.N.Eslick, F/O R.J.Westgate RCAF, Sgt N.L.Smith RAAF and F/Sgt A.E.Nickerson RCAF. F/Lt Miller was a New Zealander who enlisted in the RAF. The Crew were shot down on the night of 11th/12th July 1942 over the target area at Danzig when they were taking part in an attack against the German submarine pens located there F/O Jackie Westgate was the brother of Jean Berry, Lynn's Mum, who also attended the dedication service at Coningsby and the reunion dinner. (Above) These two photos of Amsterdam New Eastern Cemetery were sent by Henry Izatt, whose cousin was Sgt James Izatt, a 97 Squadron flight engineer. Sgt Izatt was killed on the night of 17th/18th December 1942 (along with the other six members of his crew) when their aircraft was shot down over the Netherlands by a German night fighter. Sgt Izatt's grave and those of three other crew members can be seen in the bottom photo. The graves have been looked after by three generations of Norman Jansen's family in the Netherlands. (Below) Norman Jansen sent in this picture of Sgt Izatt's gravestone. (Below) John Endley with his wife and daughter at the grave of his uncle, Sgt Harold Endley. The inscription at the bottom of the headstone contains words chosen by Harold Endley's mother: - " I lived in hope I prayed in vain that my dear son would come back again." Harold Endley was the eldest of 6 children, and his mother never got over his sad death. TO THE MEMORY OF WARRANT OFFICER F.N.CROUCH DFM (KNOWN AS NORM) Norm Crouch (pictured left outside Buckingham Palace with his brother) passed away peacefully at home in Greeensborough, Australia on 8th July 2003 when just short of his 83rd birthday. Norm flew with 97 Squadron and completed 36 sorties, mostly over the Ruhr and western Germany. A lovely, quiet man who, with his brother Warrant Officer S.Crouch (also a pilot, who flew with 467 Squadron) came over to Britain during the Second World War to defend 'our freedom'. (Below) The final resting place of Flying Officer Robert Mooney DFM at Rheinberg War Cemetery.
				(Above) This is the fine 97 Squadron stained glass window in the chapel at RAF Coningsby. It was unveiled and dedicated at a service during the 2005 97 Squadron Association reunion (see also the "Reunions" section). Flying Officer Henry Hill - War Memorial and grave at St Andrew's Church, Chesterton (Above) The war memorial in the churchyard with the names of the men from Chesterton who lost their lives in both world wars (Below) A close up of the inscribed names - Flying Officer Hill is listed in the centre column, 6th from top (Above) The headstone marking the grave of Flying Officer Henry Hill RAFVR. Westmalle Churchyard, east of Antwerp, Belgium (Above) Here in the churchyard at Westmalle is the collective grave of the crew of 97 Squadron Lancaster R5537, which was shot down on 25th August 1942. The seven crew who rest here are Flying Officer Gilbert Hooey DFC (pilot) , Flight Sergeant Leonard Grundy (navigator), Sergeant Victor Butler (flight engineer), Flight Sergeant Withers (bomb aimer), Sergeant Percy Parry (wireless operator), Sergeant Ronald Martin (mid upper gunner) and Pilot Officer Edward Smitherman (rear gunner). Two of the headstones contain two names each, hence there are only five headstones in total.