Birchley, Henry William
Personal Information
Rank | Sgt |
Forename(s) | Henry William |
Surname | Birchley |
Gender | M |
Age | 22 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 21-01-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of William Thomas Birchley and Florence Anna Birchley, of Cheltenham. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax II |
Serial Number | JP129 |
Markings |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Cheltenham Cemetery, Prestbury |
Grave Reference | Sec. D. 1. Grave 1427. |
Epitaph | HE SCATTERED SUNSHINE ON HIS WAY AND CHEERED AND BRIGHTENED EVERY DAY |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 131 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 1409579 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 4 |
Squadron | 78 |
Trade | Air Gunner |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Adjacent to Clubhouse, Breighton Airfield, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Marble Tablet |
Memorial Text | Dedicated to all who served at this airfield and gave their lives during World War II |
Location | External, All Saints Church, Bubwith, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stone Memorial, inscribed Metal Plaque |
Memorial Text | 78 Sqn 4 Group Bomber Command Yorkshire 1939 - 1945 To All Who Served |
Location | Internal, All Saints Church, Bubwith, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Wooden Board, Memorial Chapel featuring Cross made from Halifax wreckage |
Memorial Text | The 78 Sqn Memorial in the Churchyard was dedicated by the Bishop of Selby on 7th September 1986. RAF Breighton, two miles from this church was the Sqn's home from June 1943 to May 1945 |
Location | Outside "B" Hangar, RAF Benson, Oxfordshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Memorial Stone & Inscribed Slate Plaque |
Memorial Text | In proud memory of all who have lost their lives serving with 78 Sqn Royal Air Force "Nemo Non Paratus - Nobody Unprepared" |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 21-01-1944 |
End Date | 22-01-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Breighton |
Day/Night Raid | Night (18% moon) |
Operation | Magdeburg |
Reason for Loss | On the outward leg, Birchley spotted an enemy fighter approaching from astern and instructed to pilot to corkscrew. Before he could respond the fighter opened fire and killed Sgt Birchley instantly and injuring the mid-upper gunner in the foot. The intercom was knocked out in the attack. While the crew were assessing the damage the pilot jettisoned the bomb load. The flight engineer spotted the fighter coming in for a second and then a third attack, the aircraft was corkscrewed on both occasions, after which the fighter was not seen again. A further damage assessment showed that both gun positions were out of action, the astrodome was blown away, the port inner flap raked and one of the engines damaged. Perhaps more worryingly, the port and tail tyres were punctured and the navigational equipment was out of order, making a return to base fraught with difficulty. Nevertheless, the pilot, F/L Robert Shard DFM was able to return the aircraft safely to Foulsham and earned a DFC for his endeavours. The flight engineer, F/S Ross Irwin, who had concealed an injury to his thigh was awarded a DFM. |