Bell, Walter John
Personal Information
Rank | F/L |
Forename(s) | Walter John |
Surname | Bell |
Gender | M |
Age | 25 |
Decorations | DFC |
Date of Death | 21-07-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of John James Bell and Agnes Rebecca Bell, of Ipswich, Suffolk. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Avro Lancaster I |
Serial Number | R5904 |
Markings | LS-L |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Netherlands |
Burial/Memorial Place | Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Nijmegen |
Grave Reference | 24. I. 6. |
Epitaph | IN THE MIDST OF LIFE WE ARE IN DEATH" GOD BE WITH YOU TILL WE MEET AGAIN |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 129 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 174025 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 3 |
Squadron | 15 (XV) |
Trade | Pilot |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Church of St. John, Beck Row, Suffolk |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Slate Tablet on rear external wall of Church |
Memorial Text | In remembrance of all who served at RAF Mildenhall and associated aerodromes in the cause of freedom, 1939-1945 |
Miscellaneous Information
DFC Citation, London Gazette, 11 July 1944: "Distinguished Flying Cross. Acting Flight Lieutenant Walter John BELL (174025), R.A.F.V.R., No. 15 Squadron. One night early in June, 1944, Flight Lieutenant Bell was pilot and captain of an aircraft detailed to attack a target in France. Shortly after bombing the target, he encountered two Messerschmitt 4103. One of these, approaching from the port, was driven off by the gunners. . At the same time the second opened fire and caused severe damage to the aircraft from cannons and machine .guns. The gunners opened fire and hit the Messerschmitt on the fuselage. It dived and exploded in the air. A cannon shell had however, exploded in the fuselage of Flight Lieutenant Bell's aircraft. The navigator was killed and the pilot sustained a slight injury. Part of the starboard wing was shot away, carrying with it the starboard aileron. The starboard inner engine then caught fire. The front turret and instrument board were out of action and the brakes and flaps unserviceable. In this precarious position however, with assistance from the bomb aimer who took over the navigator's tasks, Flight Lieutenant Bell, though in pain from his wound, by skilful and determined airmanship succeeded in flying the damaged aircraft back to this country and executed a difficult crash landing with great coolness". |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 20-07-1944 |
End Date | 21-07-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Mildenhall |
Day/Night Raid | Night (1% moon) |
Operation | Homberg- Meerbeck oil plant. 158 aircraft (149 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitoes) of which 20 Lancasters were downed, mainly due to night-fighter activity. Caused severe damage to the plant, resulting in output dropping from 6000 tones of fuel per day to as little as 120. The 8th Air Force also hit this target. |
Reason for Loss | Crashed near Steelhoven, NW of Oosterhout, Holland |