Wilkinson, Douglas Arthur Clarence Died

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Personal Information

Rank F/L
Forename(s) Douglas Arthur Clarence
Surname Wilkinson
Gender M
Age 26
Decorations DFC, BEM
Date of Death 03-10-1943
WILKINSON DAC

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Avro Lancaster I
Serial Number W4279
Markings QR-Z Z-Zebra

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Germany
Burial/Memorial Place Hanover War Cemetery
Grave Reference 3. A. 10.

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 116
WILKINSON DAC

Location

Row -
Panel 116
Column -
Line -

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

Phase 1
Panel Number 116

Enlistment Information

Service Number 145900
Service Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Group 5
Squadron 61
Squadron Motto Per puram tonantes (Thundering through the clear air)
Trade WOp/AG
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

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- 619-625-626-627-636
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)-550-576-617-619-625-626-627-636"
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

DFC published in London Gazette 19th October 1943
Born 7 June 1917.
He gained his Private Pilot's Licence on 19 July 1939 at the Insurance Flying Club (Surrey) flying de Havilland Gipsy Moth 85 HP.
Prior to enlisting he was working as an Assistant Cost Accountant.
His BEM was promulgated in the London Gazette on 31 October 1941 with the following citation: "One night in June, 1941, this airman was the wireless operator of an aircraft which, in the course of an operation, was compelled to descend on to the sea off the Dutch coast. Although Sergeant Wilkinson had had trouble with his wireless set he had managed to maintain wireless contact with a home station until the aircraft crashed, thus enabling an accurate fix to be obtained of the aircraft's position. After the crash he released his captain who was strapped in and assisted him through the front top hatch. Sergeant Wilkinson was about to leave the aircraft, which by this time was half full of water, when he observed the navigator lying unconscious in the tunnel. Sergeant Wilkinson immediately went to the navigator's assistance, and dragging him into the cockpit, managed to revive him and then assisted him to climb out through the top hatch. Following him through the hatch, Sergeant Wilkinson saw the dinghy had not yet been launched so, dropping down on to the port wing, he jumped into the sea, swam round to the door and, opening it fully, enabled the rear gunner to throw out the dinghy. It failed to open but Sergeant Wilkinson pulled on the cord until it eventually opened but upside down. Eventually, however, the dinghy was righted and all the crew were able to jump into it except the navigator who fell in the water. Sergeant Wilkinson grasped him and with the assistance of the rear gunner was able to pull the navigator into the dinghy. Within the next few minutes the aircraft sank. Sergeant Wilkinson showed great presence of mind and devotion to duty and undoubtedly was instrumental in saving the life of the navigator besides contributing largely to the successful launching of the dinghy which led to the eventual rescue of the entire crew". (The aircraft in question was No. 10 Squadron Whitley V Z6721.

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/578/20
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/578/20

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
Braines M R (W/O) Died
Mitchell E W (F/L) Died
Penman W M (W/C) Died
Root-Reed M (P/O) Died
Stephenson K J (P/O) Died
Thomson D L (F/L) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 03-10-1943
End Date 04-10-1943
Takeoff Station Syerston
Day/Night Raid Night (21% moon)
Operation Kassel
Reason for Aircraft Loss Crashed at Rothwesten, NNE of Kassel
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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.