Francis, Gordon Charles Wardlaw
Personal Information
Rank | F/O |
Forename(s) | Gordon Charles Wardlaw |
Surname | Francis |
Gender | M |
Age | 33 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 30-03-1943 |
Next of Kin | Son of Charles Walter Francis and Isabel Summers Francis (née Wardlaw), of Albermarle Road, Beckenham, Kent. Husband of Margaret Agnes Francis (née Gummery), of Beckenham, Kent. Marriage at Bromley in 1939. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Avro Lancaster I |
Serial Number | W4175 |
Markings | OF-U |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Coningsby Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Row 64. Grave 1251. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 1 |
Panel Number | 37 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 126038 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 5 |
Squadron | 97 (Straits Settlements) |
Trade | Navigator |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | A153 Roadbridge over River Bain, Tattershall, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque |
Memorial Text | In memory of the crew of Lancaster WF 4175, 97 Sqn who were killed when the aircraft crashed on Conningsby gasworks on 30th March 1943 returning from Ops to Berlin |
Location | Thorpe Camp, Tattershall Thorpe, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stone Memorial with Inscribed Lettering and Sqn Badges |
Memorial Text | A memorial to those who flew from RAF Woodhall Spa during WW2, including 619 Sqn |
Location | Church of the Holy Spirit, RAF Coningsby, Coningsby, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stained Glass Window |
Memorial Text | A stained glass window remembering 97 Sqn in the Church of the Holy Spirit, RAF Coningsby |
Miscellaneous Information
Born 13 May 1909, Ham, Kent. Worked as a Bank Clerk. Probate showed Margaret living in Manor Road, Beckenham, Kent. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/767/6 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/767/5 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 29-03-1943 |
End Date | 30-03-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Woodhall Spa |
Day/Night Raid | Night (40% moon) |
Operation | Berlin |
Reason for Loss | Returned from raid and crashed in Coningsby village whilst in the circuit for Woodhall Spa |