Hi,

DABNOR, ROY ALFRED. Pilot Officer (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner), 162864.
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 102 Squadron, Royal Air Force.
Died Monday 22 November 1943. Aged 21.
Son of Alfred Harry Peter and Sarah Dabnor of Knockholt, Kent.
Buried St. Katherines Churchyard, Knockholt, Kent.
Grave Ref: North West of church.
Roy had been amongst the seven man crew on Halifax bomber LW333 DY-K,
when it took off from R.A.F. Pocklington, North Yorkshire at 1631 hours on 21
November 1943. Halifax bomber LW333 DY-K was being flown on the mission by
24 year old Pilot Officer (Pilot), Walter Hughes of Walton, Liverpool, Lancashire.
The Halifax was amongst a force of 764 aircraft which was comprised of 469
Lancasters, 234 Halifaxes, 50 Stirlings, and 11 Mosquitos that were taking part
on a raid on Berlin, Germany. The raid on the night of 21/22 November 1943,
was carried out by the larges force of R.A.F. aircraft that had been sent to Berlin
at that time, and was also the last raid in which Stirlings were sent to Germany.
Bad weather kept most of the German night fighters on the ground, and the
bomber force was able to take a relatively 'straight in, straight out' route to the
target without suffering undue loss of aircraft or life. Of the 26 aircraft that were
lost on the mission to Berlin, 11 were Lancasters, 10 Halifaxes, and 5 Stirlings.
Berlin had been completely cloud covered, and returning bomber crews could
only estimate that the marking and bombing was accurate. It was later revealed
that the mission which cost Roy his life, was in fact the most effective raid on
Berlin during the Second World War. A vast area of destruction stretched from
the central districts of the city westwards across the mainly residential areas of
Tiergarten and Charlottenburg, to the separate suburb city of Spandau. Because
of the dry weather conditions, several 'firestorm' areas were reported, and the
following day a German aircraft measured the height of the smoke cloud as
reaching 6,000 metres (almost 19,000 feet). It was estimated that approximately
175,000 people were bombed out as the result of the raid. Interesting entries
among the lists of buildings destroyed or severely damaged are:- Thehe Kaiser-
Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church) in West Berlin,
the Charlottenburg Castle, the Berlin Zoo, much of the Unter den Linden, the
British, French, Italian and Japanese embassies, the Ministry of Weapons and
Munitions, the Waffen SS Administrative College, and the barracks of the
Imperial Guard at Spandau. Among the numerous industrial premises that had
been hit, were five factories of the Siemens electrical group, and the Alkett tank
works which had recently moved to the city from the Ruhr. Roys aircraft was not
lost due to enemy action, as it collided in the air with a 77 Squadron, R.A.F.
Halifax bomber (LW 264 KN-K) in the Pocklington circuit, which was returning to
R.A.F. Elvington North Yorkshire from the same raid on Berlin. Both of the
aircraft crashed at 2345 hours, near Newlands Farm on the York Road, Barmby
Moor, Yorkshire. In November 1984 fourteen oak trees, each of which was
named after an airman killed in the above tragedy, were formerly commemorated
at Newlands Farm. Formerly a Sergeant (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner), Roy
was commisioned as a Pilot Officer, R.A.F. (V.R.) on 10 November 1943i,

Source:

http://www.kentfallen.com/PDF%20REPORTS/KNOCKHOLT%20LYCH%20GATE.pdf

Mike H

Hi: My name is Stan Willington (Stanley James Willington). I'm trying to figure out if Flight Sergeant David Willington is my father. My mother was Anne May Whitehouse Baker and I believe they were married 17 Sept 1937 in West Vancouver. I never new my father as he was killed before I was born. I'm told my fathers name was Norman David Willington - born in Vancouver BC in 1916 but that doesn't fit with FS David Willington. Is my dad Flight Sergeant David Willington or David Willington - both from the lower mainland in BC, both born around the same time. Any info would be appreciated.

stan@willington.ca

(519) 599-2449