Achtymichuk, Alexander

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Personal Information

Rank P/O
Forename(s) Alexander
Surname Achtymichuk
Gender M
Age 24
Decorations
Date of Death 23-04-1944
Next of Kin Son of Andrew T. Achtymichuk and Mary Achtymichuk (née Sukiwski), of Andrew, Alberta, Canada.
ACHTYMICHUK A

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Handley Page Halifax III
Serial Number LK802
Markings AL-F

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place Runnymede Memorial
Grave Reference Panel 249.
Epitaph

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase 2
Panel Number 121

Enlistment Information

Service Number J/87053
Service Royal Canadian Air Force
Group 6
Squadron 429 (Bison)
Trade Navigator
Country of Origin Canada

Miscellaneous Information

Alexander was born on 23 November 1919 in Andrew, Alberta. His father was a farmer from Austria and Alexander had five brothers and six sisters. He was born on a farm and had six years of mixed farming experience. He attended the Grammar School in Andrew between 1 September 1928 and 30 June 1936, then High School 1 September 1936 - 30 June 1939 studying Science, English and Maths, followed by the Aero Industries Technical Institute 9 October 1939 - 21 June 1940 where he studied as an Aircrafts man and Aero Engine Mechanic. Alexander had been working as an Aircraft Mechanic before enlisting on the 9 August 1940. He also had a First Aid Certificate and could type 25 words per minute.
After his initial training, he was posted to the U.K., disembarking on 4 June 1943 and going to 3PRC. Then followed 3 (O) AFU on 24 August. 1943, 22 OTU, 61 Base on 25 Jan 1944, 1666 CU until finally reaching 429 Squadron on 14 March 1944.
Alexander’s hobby was building model aeroplanes. He was also specially qualified in sheet metal, welding, steel fittings and riveting. The sports he enjoyed were basketball, baseball and softball.

Fellow Servicemen

Austin H I (F/S)
Crosswell P B (F/O)
Fennessey J F (F/O)

Last Operation Information

Start Date 22-04-1944
End Date 22-04-1944
Takeoff Station Leeming
Day/Night Raid Night
Operation Düsseldorf. 596 aircraft, 29 losses (4.9%). 2150 tones of bombs were dropped, causing considerable damage, mainly to the northern districts. 56 large industrial premises were hit, of which 7 were destroyed. More than 2000 homes were destroyed, 883 people killed and 593 injured, although these figures were compiled before all the missing had been dug out.
Reason for Loss Thought to have been hit by flak and crashed in a flooded area near Herkingen, Holland

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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.