804401 Sergeant Ronald Henry William Taylor
Air gunner
604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron
Died 26 November 1940
Sergeant Taylor is buried in Hampstead Cemetery, London.
He was a member of 604 Squadron which was equipped with Beaufighter fighter-bombers from September 1940 until 1943. These were being used in a night fighter role in November 1940.
P/O Nigel Wheatcroft (aged 21) of 604 Squadron is also listed as being killed on 26 November 1940.
P/O Wheatcroft was the son of Kenneth and Dorothea Wheatcroft, of Idridgehay, Derbyshire and he is buried in his home village.
It's possible that Taylor was Wheatcroft's gunner, but I'm yet to confirm this.
Monday 12 March 2012
Sergeant James Kennedy of 102 Squadron
974128 Sergeant James Kennedy
102 Squadron
Killed in action 3 January 1941
Aged 23
Son of James and Jessie Kennedy, of Peterculter, Aberdeenshire.
Sergeant Kennedy is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.
In January 1941, 102 Squadron was equipped with the Whitley bomber and was based at Topcliffe airfield in Yorkshire.
Sergeant Kennedy may have been a member of the crew of F/O Desmond Coutts (41667), pilot of Whitley T4227 of 102 Squadron, which was shot down by Fw Hans Hahn on 3 January 1941, possibly during a raid on Bremen.
Second Pilot of the aircraft was Sergeant Kenneth H Smith RAFVR (745765), of Keighley, Yorkshire.
F/O Coutts had been P/O Leonard Cheshire's second pilot on 12/13 November 1940 on a raid to Cologne. That aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and badly damaged near the target and the wireless operator, Sergeant Henry Davidson, was severely wounded.
Cheshire and Davidson were awarded the DSO and DFM respectively for their actions in getting their aircraft back to the UK.
102 Squadron
Killed in action 3 January 1941
Aged 23
Son of James and Jessie Kennedy, of Peterculter, Aberdeenshire.
Sergeant Kennedy is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.
In January 1941, 102 Squadron was equipped with the Whitley bomber and was based at Topcliffe airfield in Yorkshire.
Sergeant Kennedy may have been a member of the crew of F/O Desmond Coutts (41667), pilot of Whitley T4227 of 102 Squadron, which was shot down by Fw Hans Hahn on 3 January 1941, possibly during a raid on Bremen.
Second Pilot of the aircraft was Sergeant Kenneth H Smith RAFVR (745765), of Keighley, Yorkshire.
F/O Coutts had been P/O Leonard Cheshire's second pilot on 12/13 November 1940 on a raid to Cologne. That aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and badly damaged near the target and the wireless operator, Sergeant Henry Davidson, was severely wounded.
Cheshire and Davidson were awarded the DSO and DFM respectively for their actions in getting their aircraft back to the UK.
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