De MARCO WT
De Marco, Wilfred Tarquinas Died
Personal Information
| Rank | F/O |
| Forename(s) | Wilfred Tarquinas |
| Surname | De Marco |
| Gender | M |
| Age | 23 |
| Date of Death | 25-04-1945 |
| Next of Kin | Son of Rocco Lecidis de Marco and Adeline May de Marco of Timmins, Ontario. |
Aircraft Information
| Aircraft | Avro Lancaster III |
| Serial Number | LM756 |
| Markings | PG-F |
Memorial Information
| Burial/Memorial Country | Austria |
| Burial/Memorial Place | Klagenfurt War Cemetery |
| Grave Reference | Joint grave 8. B. 6-7. |
IBCC Memorial Information
| Phase | 1 |
| Panel Number | 28 |
Enlistment Information
| Service Number | J/29166 |
| Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Group | 5 |
| Squadron | 619 |
| Trade | Pilot |
| Country of Origin | Canada |
Other Memorials
| Location | Spurmberg, Adnet, Salzburg Bundeslande |
| Country | Austria |
| Memorial Type | Metal sculpture and inscribed metal plaque |
| Memorial Text |
In erinnerung an die flugzuegbezatsung des Lancaster bombers vom 619 squadron der royal air force LM756 PG-F dier heir an dieser stelle fern der heimat am 25 April 1945 in Kampf fur ein freies Europa absturtzen
Translation "In memory of the crew of 619 Sqn Lancaster LM756 PG-F who crashed here at this point far from home on April 25, 1945 in the fight for a free Europe" |
| Location | Adjacent to old Main Gate, off B1373, Strubby Airfield, Lincolnshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed Marble Pillar |
| Memorial Text | In commemoration of all who served at RAF Strubby from 144, 227, 280, 404 and 619 Squadrons & RAF College of Air Warfare. 1944 - 1972 |
| Location | St. Peter's Church, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque |
| Memorial Text | A memorial to all those who served with 619 Sqn during WW2 |
| 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- 619-625-626-627-654
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)-550-576-617-619-625-626-627-654" |
| Location | On village war memorial, Salbris, 41 - Loir-et-Choir Prefecture |
| Country | France |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed marble tablet |
| Memorial Text |
En reconnaissance aux 49 aviateurs des Sqn's 44, 49, 106 en 619 de la RAF morts pour notre liberte le 8 Mai 1947
Translation "Thank you to the 49 airmen of 44, 49, 106 and 619 Sqn's RAF who died for our freedom on May 8 1947" |
| Location | Lincoln County Hospital Chapel, Lincoln, Lincolnshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque |
| Memorial Text | In memory of Officers, NCO's & Other Ranks of 5 (Bomber) Group RAF who gave their lives Sept 1939 - May 1945 |
Miscellaneous Information
| Flying into Hell by Mel Rolfe: "By the time DeMarco brought his plane in low over the target, the defenses were heavily engaged. He had to stay over the heavy flak long enough in order to ensure that bombs hit the barracks. As DeMarco attempted to pull up, the plane was hit multiple times in a vicious crossfire. Navigator Norman Johnson was killed by shrapnel. The rear of the plane was on fire and there was no word from the trapped gunners Gordon Walker and Ed Norman. DeMarco was badly wounded and ordered his crew to bail out. He tried to keep the plane steady while they escaped. Jack Cole, Art Shannon and Jack Speers managed to bail to safety. Soon after, DeMarco's plane exploded into the mountain. They were the last four men killed out of the 55,573 Bomber Command casualties of the war." |
| Tail End Charlies by John Nichol (Penguin Books): Two Lancasters had gone down and their crews were missing. One of them was Freddie Cole, Flt Engineer in the plane piloted by Canadian F/O Wilf De Marco which Peter Marshall had seen hit in front of him. They had just released their bombs and were in that most nervous of moments waiting for the automatic camera to record their performance on the target when they were hit by cross fire. Arthur Shannon the Bomb Aimer recalled "I had watched the bombs fall and was pleased to see one hit the SS Barracks. The photoflash had just gone off when there was a big explosion. It was clear we only had a short time to get the hell out of it" He clipped on his parachute and was first out of the escape hatch. Navigator Norman Johnson was dead. He had for once, left his safe cubby hole as curiousity had got the better of him and he wanted to see this particular target. He was standing beside the Pilot when gunfire hit a propeller and sent a sliver of metal shrapnel smashing through the windscreen and into his face. As he fell, he flung is hand out and caught the D-ring of Coles parachute, lying on a seat.The silk spilled ot into the cockpit. Flames were shoting from the back of the Lancaster and there was a yell for everyone to get out. Cole gathered up the folds of his parachute into a big untidy bundle and headed for the escape hatch. Wireless Operator Jackie Speers , another Canadianwas supposed to exit from the rear but the flames forced him forward. He reckoned the two gunners behind him must be dead. He saw the Navigators body, then hit the Pilot's knee hard, the usual drill as you evaccuated to alert him to follow. "There was no response" Speers recalled "The front of the cockpit had been blown away. He could not have survived". Speers found Cole sitting on the edge of the hatch wrestling with his parachute. He made sure the harness was clipped on and then gave his friend a mighty shove in the back and out of the falling plane. Speers followed immediately. As the silk billowed out and held him, Cole saw the blazing Lancaster he had just left fly into the side of a mountain and explode. "That was a truly horrendous sight. I knew some of my mates were still on board. As I floated down I was hit hard by the realisation that they were dead. But there wasn't time for tears. They came later. For now I had to think about my own survival. I came down in a meadow and was immediately captured by SS soldiers. They were very hostile until an officer came along and calmed them down. He stopped them from shooting me". Cole was taken by truck to Salzburg and imprisoned in the Police Station. Meanwhile Shannon had landed in a fir tree and slid to the ground breaking a leg. "I was lying on the ground in agony with no chance of getting away when the Germans arrived. They kicked me down the mountainside. Once they levelled their guns at me and I thought I was going to be shot". Speers was picked up by German civilians. At first they treated him well. He had shrapnel in his left leg and could not walk and they carried him on a ladder to a farmyard. There he was put in a haycart to be taken to the village and handed over to the Police. On the way, Allied Fighter planes roared into the valley and began shooting up the area with rockets. The people escorting him scattered but when they came back they were angry and women shrieked at him and threatened him with pitchforks. Fortunately for him, soldiers came to his rescue. |
| Born 14 July 1921. Known as 'Foxy' |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
| Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/2131/46 |
| Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/2131/46 |
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 |
|---|---|
| Johnston N H (P/O) | Died |
| Norman E W (Sgt) | Died |
| Walker G V (W/O) | Died |
Last Operation Information
| Start Date | 25-04-1945 |
| End Date | 25-04-1945 |
| Takeoff Station | Strubby |
| Day/Night Raid | Day |
| Operation | Berchtesgaden- "The Eagle's Nest" |
| Reason for Aircraft Loss | Hit by flak on its bombing run over Hitler's Bavarian mountain retreat, the Lancaster crashed at Adnet in Austria |