Bennett, John Henry
Personal Information
Rank | Sgt |
Forename(s) | John Henry |
Surname | Bennett |
Gender | M |
Age | 20 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 06-09-1943 |
Next of Kin | Son of Henry Leonard and Annie Elisa Bennett, of Rushden, Northamptonshire. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax II |
Serial Number | JD263 |
Markings | MH- |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Runnymede Memorial |
Grave Reference | Panel 142. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 130 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 1319079 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 4 |
Squadron | 51 |
Trade | Air Gunner |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | RAF Snaith Memorial Gardens, Pollington, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Marble Monument, Bench & Metal Plaques |
Memorial Text | In memory of the airmen of R.A.F. 51 Sqn. (687) and 150 Sqn. (205) between 1941 - 1945 |
Location | Village Hall, Pollington, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque on external wall |
Memorial Text | 51 Sqn RAF Snaith Oct 1942 - Apr 1945 |
Location | St. John the Baptist Church, Pollington, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Sqn Crest & Roll of Honour |
Memorial Text | 51 Sqn Roll of Honour |
Location | RAF Snaith Memorial Gardens, Pollington, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Marble Monument, Multiple Inscribed Metal Plaques, Propeller Unit |
Memorial Text | In memory of the 687 airmen of 51 Sqn, 4 Gp, Bomber Command who lost their lives flying Halifax bombers Mks 2 and 3 at RAF Snaith between October 1942 and April 1945 |
Location | Stn Church, RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Roll of Honour in Wooden Case |
Memorial Text | Roll of Honour of 51 Sqn |
Location | Grounds of Selby Abbey, Selby, North Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Memorial Stone |
Memorial Text | 51 Sqn RAF. In proud and undying memory of all ranks killed or missing 1939 - 1945 |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/492/36 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/492/35 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 05-09-1943 |
End Date | 06-09-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Snaith |
Day/Night Raid | Night (34% moon) |
Operation | Mannheim/ Ludwigshafen. 605 aircraft, 34 losses (5.6%). Clear conditions- PFF marking plan worked perfectly. The main force approached from the west so that they could bomb Mannheim first and then move on to Ludwigshafen. Little creepback took place and much damage was caused to both targets. The normally detailed report from Mannheim was much less so, suggesting that the raid was so severe that the normal information gathering procedures has broken down amidst the destruction. Ludwigshafen described the raid simply as 'a catastrophe'. In the latter, 1080 dwellings, 6 military buildings and 4 industrial buildings were destroyed. The death toll was relatively low for such a large raid- 127- perhaps indicating that much of the city's population had been evacuated in the wake of the firestorm incident in Hamburg. |
Reason for Loss | Shot down from 18000' by a night-fighter and crashed in the target area |