JOHN HERBERT WHITEHART

Ipswich War Memorial | Posted on 6th October 2016 |

Born: 1920, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Died: 28th April 1943; age: 23; aircraft hit by flak and crashed.

Rank: Sergeant; Service Number: 964185.

Regiment: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 75 (R.N.Z.A.F.) Squadron.

Memorial Reference:

Panel 169.

Runnymede Memorial,

Englefield Green,

Surrey.

Relatives Notified & Address: Son of Arthur & Harriet Whitehart, of Ipswich.

Father: Arthur Whitehart, born May 1894, Ashfield, Suffolk. An Omnibus Inspector.

Mother: Harriet Susannah Whitehart (nee Moore), born June 1891, Gorleston on Sea, Norfolk.

On the 1939 England & Wales Register, the Whitehart family are living at 12, Castle Hill, Eye, Suffolk.

John is also remembered on the war memorial at Eye, Suffolk.

28th April 1943

Aircraft: Stirling I; Serial number: R9290; Code: AA-X. The aircraft took off from RAF Newmarket, Suffolk, at 20:41 hrs, as part of a force of 207 aircraft on Operation ‘Gardening’ ‘Radish.’ A total of 593 mines of 1500 lbs were laid off Heligoland, in the river Elbe and in the Great and Little Belts. Low cloud had forced R9290 to fly low over the coasts. Whilst flying low at 300 mtrs R9290 was hit by marine flak with a 2-2cm Madsen and M.G.08 from an Anti Aircraft Ship. Lei. Flakzug ‘Kappel’ of 8.M.A.A. 5 claimed the lose of the aircraft. The flak unit had hit the aircraft in the left inbound engine and along the fuselage. The aircraft crashed into the sea and exploded on impact at 00:23hrs near the Danish island of Lolland. Debris and human remains, no bigger then a human hand, were washed ashore, covering a 6kms stretch. The Danish Shore Police quickly gathered and buried the human remains in unmarked graves on the beach.

Crew:

Alfred Edward Lewis; Flight Sergeant/ Pilot; age 25; R.A.A.F.

Andrew Graham; Sergeant/Flight Engineer; age 21; R.A.F.V.R.