Bird, Edgar George
Personal Information
Rank | Sgt |
Forename(s) | Edgar George |
Surname | Bird |
Gender | M |
Age | 21 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 21-01-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of Henry George and Mabel Alice Bird, of Highbury, London. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax V |
Serial Number | LK912 |
Markings | MP-N |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Germany |
Burial/Memorial Place | Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Coll. grave 9. A. 11-14. |
Epitaph | REST ETERNAL GRANT UNTO HIM, O LORD; AND LET LIGHT PERPETUAL SHINE ON HIM |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 131 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 1585460 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 4 |
Squadron | 76 |
Trade | WOp/AG |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Behind old Main Guardroom, former Holme On Spalding Moor Airfield, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stone Pillar with inscribed Metal Plaques |
Memorial Text | In Remembrance of the aircrew members from the UK,Australia,New Zealand,Canada and Norway,who gave their lives in the cause of freedom in operational sorties against the enemy from 76 Sqn 1941-1945 and to the ground personal who lost their lives by enemy |
Location | All Saints Church, Holme On Spalding Moor, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stained Glass Window and Roll of Honour within Wooden Box with inscribed Metal Plaque |
Memorial Text | S G Window In memory of 76 Sqn R.A.F / Roll of honour In memory of those members of 76 Sqn R.A.F who were killed on active service 1939-1954 |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/652/2 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/652/1 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 21-01-1944 |
End Date | 22-01-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Holme-on-Spalding-Moor |
Day/Night Raid | Night (18% moon) |
Operation | Magdeburg- the first major raid on this target. 648 aircraft, 57 losses (8.8%). The Halifax loss rate was especially high at 15.6%. The German controller tracked the bomber stream across the North Sea and many night-fighters were already in the stream before it reached the German coast (using the newly developed Tame Boar methodology). The controller was slow in identifying Magdeburg as the target but this was of little consequence as the fighters were able to stay in the stream for the duration of the approach. Despite the high loss rate, this was not a successful attack. Stronger tail winds than anticipated placed some of the stream over the target before Zero Hour and dropped their bomb load anyway, making the target marking much less effective. German decoy markers exacerbated the situation. No local report is available but it is thought that most of the bombs fell outside of the city. |
Reason for Loss | Crashed at Hordorf, Germany |