Short Stirling III (BK716 HA-J) on a mission to Berlin on 1943-03-30
On Monday, 29 March 1943, (a part of) the aircraft of the 218 squadron (RAF), took off for a mission to Berlin in Germany from a station (airfield) in or near Downham Market.
One of the crew members was R105188 Flight Sergeant J F J McCaw RCAF. He departed for his mission at 21:30.
He flew with a Short Stirling (type III, with serial BK716 and code HA-J). His mission and of the other crew members was planned for Tuesday, 30 March 1943.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-51249752
An aircraft in which seven airmen went missing during World War II has been found in the Netherlands. The Short Stirling Bomber BK716 was lost when returning from a bombing raid in Germany in 1943. It was found this week submerged in Lake Markermeer, near Amsterdam and it is thought the remains of the crew are still on board. One of the men was Sgt Charles Armstrong Bell, of Langley Park, County Durham. A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said the Bomber Command Museum of Canada had asked it for help tracking down any of Sgt Bell's living relatives. They said he was the son of James Ainsley Bell and Elizabeth Bell and had lived at 10, Quebec Street, with his wife Frances, who later remarried. A family member subsequently contacted police after appeals were shared on social media. The relatives of the six other crew members have also been traced, although their names have not been revealed.
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.
This record can also be found on the maps of Back to Normandy with Google coordinates. You can find the maps by clicking on this link on this location.
There are several possibilities in investigating the flight records on Back to Normandy. All the flights are plotted on maps, sorted " day by day", "by squadron", "by type aircraft", "by year or month", "by location" and much more! Don't miss this!!!
If you have any information that you want to share, please add your comment at the bottom of this record. Or send your information to [email protected]
Your photos and your information are very welcome! The young do care and with your help we keep up the good work.