Vickers Wellington III (X3422 GT-) on a mission to Genoa on 1942-11-08
On Saturday, 07 November 1942, (a part of) the aircraft of the 156 squadron (RAF), took off for a mission to Genoa in Italy from a station (airfield) in or near Warboys.
One of the crew members was Pilot Officer D G Chell. He departed for his mission at 18:07.
He flew with a Vickers Wellington (type III, with serial X3422 and code GT-). His mission and of the other crew members was planned for Sunday, 08 November 1942.
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.
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I have bee trying to find out any information on X3422 Wellington Bomber of 156 'Pathfinder' Squadron which was lost on the 7th or 8th of November 1942. It took off from RAF Warboys, Cambridgeshire on the 7th on a mission to light up the intended bombing site of Genoa harbour, so the following bombers could identify & hit the required target. This was done in order to hold up the Germans vital supply lines to North Africa ahead of the imminent allied forces invasion of Africa. The rationale was to relieve pressure from the European theatre of war by stretching German forces over 2 continents, which I believe was the initial turning point of the war. The raid, consisting of around 175 bombers was very successful but sadly X3422 didn't make it back to England. It was last seen heading quite low towards the Mont Blanc Massiff near Chamonix, France. The pilot was David Graham Chell of Staffordshire, England, uncle to my mother-in-law, so great uncle to my partner. David, along with the other 4 crew members have never been found, nor any sign of any wreckage from the Wellington bomber. David was 28, & left behind a young widow & a very young daughter. My mother-in-law was around 13 at the time & very fond of her uncle. She passed about 8 years ago but before she died, she told me some of the story of her beloved uncle & asked me to find out as much as I could & never let his name die.Any information would be most welcome or any advice of where to look or who to approach would be fantastic. I heard recently that there'd been a documentary a few years ago about a charity hike in the French Alps being requested to help search for any signs of wreckage.Anyway, if there's any more information, I'd love to hear it.I'll attach a photo of Pilot Officer David Graham Chell incase you wish to attach it to your records.Thank You for all that you do,Kindest Regards,James Turner, of Stafford, England