Appleby, Thomas Gaufrey Wearmouth
Personal Information
Rank | F/L |
Forename(s) | Thomas Gaufrey Wearmouth |
Surname | Appleby |
Gender | M |
Age | 24 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 18-12-1939 |
Next of Kin | Son of John Stanley Appleby and Winifred Isabella Wynn Appleby (née Hughes-Ganes). |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Vickers Wellington IA |
Serial Number | N2904 |
Markings | LF-B |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Runnymede Memorial |
Grave Reference | Panel 1. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 123 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 34227 |
Service | Royal Air Force |
Group | 3 |
Squadron | 37 |
Trade | Pilot |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Miscellaneous Information
Last seen on fire over the sea |
Born March 1915 in Stockton, Durham. |
His mother died in 1923. The family were from the North East originally but the family were living at The Old Rectory, Little Gransden, Sandy, Bedfordshire at the time of Thomas's death. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 18-12-1939 |
End Date | 18-12-1939 |
Takeoff Station | Feltwell |
Day/Night Raid | Day |
Operation | Daylight attack on shipping off Wilhelmshaven by 24 Wellingtons |
Reason for Loss | Picked up early by an experimental German Freya radar on the island of Wangerooge and, in clear conditions, were scattered by accurate flak and then attacked by fighters. Twelve of the 22 aircraft which had reached the target area were shot down for 2 German fighters. This operation, together with an earlier and similarly disasterous operation on 14th December, had a profound effect on British bomber policy and did much to dispel the myth that bombers in a tight formation would always be safe from attacking fighters. |