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60-YEARS ON:
WREATH-LAYING FOR 61-SQN CREWS

See also PROJECTS

BCH lay wreaths at the 61 Squadron Memorial: Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire, UK

Wreaths laid from BCH and on behalf of the families of crews from three Lancasters of 61 Squadron, tragically lost sixty years ago almost to the day.

AS part of an ongoing research project BCH laid wreaths in memory of three RAF 61 Squadron Lancaster aircrews. This took place at the Memorial next to the community centre located in the Birchwood Estate, Skellingthorpe. Lincolnshire. Unfortunately BCH are not a large enough organization yet and lack funds to do anything on a larger, National scale to commemorate all those who lost their lives sixty years ago. However, we are doing what we can and this wreath laying was also in part a tribute to them.

Our journey was to take us from Sussex to Lincolnshire via Milton Keynes and Yorkshire to collect a relative and then back again! Unfortunately due to one of us falling very ill we had to rearrange. Determined to finish what we had begun we finally arrived, after many toilet stops, at the RAF Skellingthorpe Memorial a little before sunset on the 6th March 2005. Nothing much remains of this World War Two airfield today, and as we speak what does remain is slowly disappearing under new homes.

Sixty years ago and so near to the end of the Second World War, these Men were tragically lost. The Project developed from a family history story within Bomber Command Heritage, and thus being contacted by other relatives, we felt it necessary to remember them. Our 61 Squadron Aircrew Project is dedicated to tell the story of just a few RAF Bomber Command personnel out of the thousands that perished helping to free the World of Nazism. RAF 61 Squadron was a 5 Group Squadron, the first in fact to operate the Avro Manchester. The Manchester was later redesigned became what we now know as the ultimate heavy bomber of the time - the Avro Lancaster.

On behalf of the relatives of the following Airmen and their crewmates, Bomber Command Heritage remembers them.

Some Interesting Facts:

1. Flight Sergeant John (Jackie) Lewis Jones and crew flew NF988 often when it first came into service in October 1944. They later perished flying the replacement “T for Tommy”.

2. Flight Lieutenant Stanley Miller and crew flew “Mickey the Moocher” on the raid where Wing Commander Guy Gibson was killed flying a Pathfinder Mosquito. This was the RHYEDT Operation that is mentioned on the BBMF Website. Further details will be available on our Project pages and further updates will become available when you subscribe to our bi-annual newsletter Parramatter.

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61 Sqn Memorial at Skellingthorpe with wreaths from Floss and BCH