Buell, Chester Merrill Died

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Personal Information

Rank F/O
Forename(s) Chester Merrill
Surname Buell
Gender M
Age 27
Date of Death 28-12-1944
Next of Kin Son of Merrill Charles Buell and Mary Frances Buell (née Dreyer) of Long Branch, Toronto, Canada. Husband of Mona Margaret Buell (née Maywood), whom he married at Toronto on 23 May 1942.
BUELL CM

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Avro Lancaster III
Serial Number PB634
Markings SR-U

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Germany
Burial/Memorial Place Rheinberg War Cemetery
Grave Reference 5. D. 14.

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 15
BUELL CM

Location

Row -
Panel 15
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 1
Panel Number 15

Enlistment Information

Service Number J/39274
Service Royal Canadian Air Force
Group 1
Squadron 101
Squadron Motto Mens agitat molem (Mind over matter)
Trade Navigator
Country of Origin Canada

Other Memorials

Location St. Mary & St. Peter's Church, Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Sqn Standard & Roll of Honour in wooden bookcase
Memorial Text In memory of 101 Squadron 1943-45 based at RAF Ludford Magna
Location Village Centre, Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Pillar & Brass plaque on adjacent bench
Memorial Text In memory of 101 Squadron 1943-45 based at RAF Ludford Magna
Location The White Hart PH, Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Metal on external wall of PH
Memorial Text In memory of the men and women of 101 Squadron 1943-45
Location The National Aboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Monument
Memorial Text This memorial is dedicated to all those who served on 101 Squadron, and honours those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We will remember you.
Location In front of the mess esplanade, Mailly-le-Camp, 10 - Aube Prefecture
Country France
Memorial Type Stone memorial sculpture, inscribed marble tablets and inscribed metal plaque
Memorial Text En souvenir des heros de la RAF. Qui ont participe au bombardment du camp de Mailly. Unites de la RAF engagees dans le raid sur Mailly-le-Camp, la nuit du 3 au 4 May 1944. N° 9-12-44-49-50-57 61-83-97-100-101 Special Duties Flight-103-105-106-166- 169-192-207-460 (RAAF)-463 (RAAF)-467 (RAAF)-550-576-617- 619-625-626-627-640
Translation "In memory of the RAF heroes who took part in the bombing of Mailly Camp. RAF units engaged in the raid on Mailly-le-Camp, the night of 3-4 May 1944. Squadrons that took part: N° 9-12-44-49-50-57 61-83-97-100-101 Special Duties Flight-103-105-106-166- 169-192-207-460 (RAAF)-463 (RAAF)-467 (RAAF)-550-576-617-619-625-626-627-640"
Location Bawtry Hall, Bawtry, South Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Marble Tablet
Memorial Text In memory of those who did not return 1939 - 1945

Miscellaneous Information

On ABC duties
Chester was born at Toronto on 11 June 1917. Both parents were born at Meriden, Connecticut, USA, and his mother was deceased by the time of Chester's enlistment. He has one married sister Lois Anne (Sears). His schooling was at Long Branch Public School. 1925-1931 (general) followed by Long Branch Continuation 1931-1936 (Matric grade XIII). He wasn’t involved in any sport or hobby. Chester worked as a foreman and metal starter at Anaconda American Brass in New Toronto between 1936-1942 and then enlisted on 8 October 1942.
Chester sadly lost his life on 28 December 1944 having completed 19 operations.

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/803/24
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/803/24

Fellow Servicemen

Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.

Name Outcome
Bradley C R (P/O) Died
Classen W G (Sgt) Died
Cobbett B V (P/O) Died
Gibbs K (F/O) Died
King R (Sgt) Died
McGregor J B (P/O) Died
Parke W K (F/L) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 28-12-1944
End Date 29-12-1944
Takeoff Station Ludford Magna
Day/Night Raid Night (100% moon)
Operation Bonn
Reason for Aircraft Loss Shot down by Fw Richard Richter 8.NJG 2 close to the target area
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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.