Vickers Wellington III (X3485 GT-) on a mission to Frisian Islands on 1942-04-20
On Sunday, 19 April 1942, (a part of) the aircraft of the 156 squadron (RAF), took off for a mission to Frisian Islands in Netherlands from a station (airfield) in or near Alconbury. This aircraft failed to return and no messages were received from it. War load 2 x PDM2 T/o Alconbury 2107. Presumed lost over the sea. On 21 April, the body of F/S Brady was found near kmp 5 and he was buried the next day on Ameland in the island's Nes General Cemetery. Two days later, the London Gazette published details of his immediate DFM, awarded for his exceptional devotion to duty while on operations to Koln earlier in the month. The rest of the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
One of the crew members was Flight Sergeant C T T Brady DFM. He departed for his mission at 21:07.
He flew with a Vickers Wellington (type III, with serial X3485 and code GT-). His mission and of the other crew members was planned for Monday, 20 April 1942.
8 aircraft of 156 squadron were deployed as part of a larger force of 51 aircraft on a sea mining mission off the Frisian Islands. X3485 was lost and no messages were received from it. Warload 2 X PDM2. Took off 21:07, presumed lost over the sea although both W/Cdr Heath (X3742) and F/Sgt Shilleto (X3695) spotted scattered fire off Ameland which may have been a crashed aircraft. Hampdens of RCAF 420 Squadron also reported seeing flak ships off one of the islands. On 21st April F/S Brady's body was washed up on Ameland and he was buried in Nes General Cemetery there. He received a posthumous DFM 2 days later for service over Koln. The rest of the crew are commemorated in Runnymede Memorial.
Update by Stuart Fox.
Information about aircraft who did not return from this mission can be found here. Information about the other crew members on this flight can be found at this website (Aircrew Remembered). This website also provides the flight information for this record.
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