Billings, Lawrence Eric Died

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Personal Information

Rank Sgt
Forename(s) Lawrence Eric
Surname Billings
Gender M
Age 23
Date of Death 07-09-1942
Next of Kin Son of John Lawrence Billings and Kate Adeline Billings (née Simpkin), of Nottingham. Husband of Joyce Billings (née Ash), of Nottingham. They married at Nottingham Registry Office, 5 March 1942.
BILLINGS LE

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Handley Page Halifax II
Serial Number W7767
Markings ZA-O

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Germany
Burial/Memorial Place Reichswald Forest War Cemetery
Grave Reference 16. G. 10.
Epitaph DEARLY LOVED SON OF KATE AND JOHN. IN GOD'S KEEPING TILL WE MEET AGAIN

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 131
BILLINGS LE

Location

Row -
Panel 131
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 2
Panel Number 131

Enlistment Information

Service Number 656623
Service Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Group 4
Squadron 10
Squadron Motto Rem acu tangere (To hit the mark)
Trade Air Bomber
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location Melbourne, East Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Brick Memorial Stone & Plaque
Memorial Text No 10 Squadron, 4 Group Bomber Command, WWII 1939-1945. This memorial was erected at the entrance to the former RAF Station Melbourne by ex Members and Friends of the Squadron to honour the memory of all personnel who died in the service of their Country during WWII and as a tribute to the many friends in the Villages of Melbourne and Seaton Ross for their many deeds of kindness.
Location Melbourne Airfield, East Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Runway Light in Concrete Base
Memorial Text Let this landing light be a memorial to all those 1,000 aircrew and 120 aircraft that left this very point never to return so that we may return again and again in freedom to enjoy York Motor Sport Park
Location Roadside location (off E6), Fættenfjord, near Åsenfjord, Trøndelag Fylke
Country Norway
Memorial Type Inscribed memorial stone atopped with inert aerial sea mine and Tirpitz anchor chain link
Memorial Text For Frihet Til minne om Allierte Flymannskaper fra RAF drept under angrep pa det tyske slagskipet Tirpitz i Fættenfjord 1942
Translation "For freedom In memory of the Allied Aircrews from the RAF who died in attacks on the German Battleship Tirpitz in the Fættenfjord 1942 "
Location Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Memorial Gardens, Propeller, Inscribed Marble Tablets
Memorial Text In everlasting homage to the courage of those who have found their winged victory through the skies of Yorkshire
Location Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Propeller Unit & Inscribed Marble Tablets
Memorial Text They made the supreme sacrifice so that you & I may go in peace with freedom. 4 Group 1939 - 1945.
Location Heslington Hall, York, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text Heslington Hall 1941 - 1945, 4 Gp Headquarters Bomber Command. In remembrance of those Air & Ground personnel who made the supreme sacrifice that we all may walk in peace with freedom

Miscellaneous Information

Lawrence flew the Thousand Bomber attack on Bremen at the conclusion of his training at 19 OTU with: Morgan, Milne, Morris and Loveday of this crew.

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/143/18
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/143/18

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.

Name Outcome
Henry A J (Sgt) Died
Loveday H J (Sgt) Died
Milne A M (F/S) Died
Morgan D W E (P/O) Died
Morris A (Sgt) Died
Rice J (Sgt) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 06-09-1942
End Date 07-09-1942
Takeoff Station Melbourne
Day/Night Raid Night (13% moon)
Operation Duisburg. 207 aircraft, 8 losses (3.9%). Cloud cover lead to scattered bombing but the authorities in Duisburg classed it as the heaviest raid to date
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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.