Beckhouse, Gordon Edwin

Personal Information

Rank F/S
Forename(s) Gordon Edwin
Surname Beckhouse
Gender M
Age 20
Date of Death 19-07-1944
Next of Kin Son of Robert Cooper Beckhouse and Isobel Elizabeth Beckhouse, of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
BECKHOUSE GE

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Avro Lancaster I
Serial Number LM117
Markings LE-J

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country France
Burial/Memorial Place Togny-Aux-Boeufs Communal Cemetery
Grave Reference Plot 1. Row 5. Grave 3.
Epitaph THERE'S SOME CORNER OF A FOREIGN FIELD THAT IS FOR EVER ENGLAND

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase 1
Panel Number 7

Enlistment Information

Service Number 424354
Service Royal Australian Air Force
Group 5
Squadron 630
Squadron Motto Nocturna mors (Death by night)
Trade Wireless Operator
Country of Origin Australia

Other Memorials

Location Adjacent to former Main Guardroom, LAHC, East Kirkby, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Memorial Stone, Memorial Plaques & Metal Sculpture
Memorial Text In memory of those who gave their lives with 57 Sqn & 630 Sqns 1939 - 1945
View On Google Maps View On what3words
Location The Chapel, Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, East Kirkby, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Wooden RoH
Memorial Text In proud memory of the men of No 630 Sqn who lost their lives operating from RAF East Kirkby 1943 to 1945
View On Google Maps View On what3words

Last Operation Information

Start Date 18-07-1944
End Date 19-07-1944
Takeoff Station East Kirkby
Day/Night Raid Night (2% moon)
Operation Revigny
Reason for Loss Homebound, hit by flak, all crew baled out
 
 
 
 

Please Wait

Close

Request An Edit

Submit a Photo

Once submitted, your photo will be submitted for verification and will be shown on the database record shortly.

Disclaimer I acknowledge that I remain the copyright holder of the original document(s). I hereby grant copyright in the digital version to the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) and I consent to IBCC making digital copies freely available online under a Creative Commons non-commercial licence. IBCC may also use, reproduce or incorporate it into other works in any media, or licence its use for purposes of ensuring the sustainability of its Digital Archive and Losses Database. I understand that digital copies will be owned and controlled by IBCC, and I irrevocably agree to IBCC using and publishing digital copies however it sees fit, but always in line with its responsibilities to preserve and protect such ephemera.

Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.