Aitchison, Robert Smiles
Personal Information
Rank | Sgt |
Forename(s) | Robert Smiles |
Surname | Aitchison |
Gender | M |
Age | 21 |
Date of Death | 19-01-1942 |
Next of Kin | Son of Joshua and Mabel Katherine Armour Aitchison. of Sidlesham. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Vickers Wellington III |
Serial Number | X3370 |
Markings | WS-D |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Sidlesham (St. Mary) Churchyard |
Grave Reference | |
Epitaph | "ONE OF THE FEW" HE LIVED FOR HIS HOME HE DIED FOR HIS COUNTRY Churchill Speech to the House of Commons 20 August 1940 |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 121 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 687 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 3 |
Squadron | 9 (IX) |
Squadron Motto | Per noctem volamus (Through out the night we fly) |
Trade | Air Gunner |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Village Green, Bardney, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stone Memorial, Propeller and Plaque |
Memorial Text | In memory of the killed or missing of IX Sqd. 1939 - 1945 |
Casualty Pack Number Find Out More
AIR 81/11645 (P365489/42) |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/126/25 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/126/24 |
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.
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 19-01-1942 |
End Date | 19-01-1942 |
Takeoff Station | Honington |
Day/Night Raid | Day |
Operation | Training |
Reason for Loss | Crashed in flames near Thetford due to structural failure on the starboard wing |