Paxton, Robert Henry
Personal Information
Rank | Sgt |
Forename(s) | Robert Henry |
Surname | Paxton |
Gender | M |
Age | 39 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 30-03-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of Robert Paxton and of Annie Paxton (Nee Brooke), of Stranraer, Wigtownshire. Husband of Agnes Campbell Paxton, of Stranraer. Father of Anna Brownlee (née Paxton) |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Avro Lancaster lll |
Serial Number | LM425 |
Markings | BQ-N |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Belgium |
Burial/Memorial Place | Heverlee War Cemetery |
Grave Reference | 5. B. 17. |
Epitaph | OUR LOVE, OUR REMEMBRANCE AND OUR GRATITUDE |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 1 |
Panel Number | 83 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 1329560 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 1 |
Squadron | 550 |
Trade | Flight Engineer |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Route de la Gileppe, Jalhay, Liege Province |
Country | Belgium |
Memorial Type | Memorial stone & inscribed metal plaque |
Memorial Text | Le 31 Mars 1944. Ici, au lieu dit “Coeur de Marie” Un Lancaster anglaise a ete abattu par la flak allemande et s’est ecrase avec a son bord. + Jefferies Ah. 21 ans, + Simpson H 21 ans, + Paxton Rh. 39 ans, + whitley J. 23 ans, POW Jeffrey Ds., POW Keirle |
Location | Chemin du Stoquois, Rebecq, Walloon Brabant Province |
Country | Belgium |
Memorial Type | Metal sculpture & inscribed metal plaques |
Memorial Text |
Location | Lancaster Approach, North Killingholme, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Memorial Stone & Info Board |
Memorial Text | A memorial to 550 Sqn RAF which flew from RAF North Killingholme; Jan 1944 - Oct 1945 |
Location | Church of St. Deny's, North Killingholme, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stained Glass Window, RoH and inscribed Metal & Wooden Plaques |
Memorial Text | Several memorials to the men and women who served with 550 Sqn at RAF Killingholme during WW2 |
Miscellaneous Information
After the war, his daughter received a parcel addressed to 'Miss Anna' containing Bobby's wallet and a last letter he’d written for her. The Belgian family on the farm where the aircraft crashed had retrieved them from his body so that it didn't fall into the hands of the Germans and sewed them into the back of a rug until the war was over for fear of being persecuted for helping the enemy, were they to be discovered. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/2044/1 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/2037/9 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 30-03-1944 |
End Date | 31-03-1944 |
Takeoff Station | North Killingholme |
Day/Night Raid | Night (45% moon) |
Operation | Nürnberg |
Reason for Loss | Aircraft took off from North Killingholme at 2145 hrs detailed to attack targets in Nurnberg. Aircraft hit by flak batteries near Liege and crashed at the Barrage de la Gileppe 8 km East of Verviers in Belgium |