Black, Douglas Allan
Personal Information
Rank | Sgt |
Forename(s) | Douglas Allan |
Surname | Black |
Gender | M |
Age | 21 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 10-08-1943 |
Next of Kin | Son of Foster Tracey Black and Bertha Louise Black (née Richardson), of Rolling Dam, New Brunswick, Canada. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax II |
Serial Number | HR872 |
Markings | LQ-K |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Belgium |
Burial/Memorial Place | Florennes Communal Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Row 5. Coll. grave 63-65. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 131 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | R/84830 |
Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
Group | 8 |
Squadron | 405 (Vancouver) |
Trade | Flight Engineer |
Country of Origin | Canada |
Other Memorials
Location | N803 Les Fermes, Awenne (Saint-Hubert), Luxembourg Province |
Country | Belgium |
Memorial Type | Memorial shrine, memorial stone and inscribed stone tablet, info board and Canadian Maple Leaf tree |
Memorial Text | En memoire de K. GRAY – H. KING – D. BLACK – J. EVANS – A. MIDDLETON – Ch. PICKERING – J. HANNA, Halifax HR 872 LQ-K, 405e Escadron de la RCAF – 10 aout 1943, “Ils ont sacrifie leur aujourd’hui pour nos lendemains de liberte” “They sacrificed their presen |
Location | Adjacent to Village Windmill, Mill Rd, Great Gransden, Cambridgeshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Memorial Stone with inscribed Metal Plaque |
Memorial Text | Remembering 405 (Vancouver) Sqn. PFF at Gransden Lodge 1942 - 1945 |
Location | St. Bartholomew's Church, Great Gransden, Cambridgeshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stained Glass Window, RoH and inscribed metal plaque |
Memorial Text | Commemorating the 801 airmen of 405 Sqn. RCAF who gave their lives 1941 - 1945 |
Location | Pocklington Gliding Club, Pocklington Airfield, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Marble Pillar and inscribed metal plaque |
Memorial Text | In memory of 102 (Ceylon) and 405 (Vancouver) Sqns. Pocklington Airfield |
Miscellaneous Information
F/S Gray and F/O Middleton were from Medicine Hat, in Alberta and presumably joined up together |
Douglas was born on 5 August 1922 at Rolling Dam, New Brunswick. His father, who worked as a labourer, was born at Dumbarton, New Brunswick and his mother at Bartlett’s Mills. New Brunswick. The school he attended was Rolling Dam, 1928-1938 (High School Entrance, grade 8) He also took a 3 month Youth Training Course, 1940-1941 on Aero Engine Mechanics. During 1939 he was farming at home and then spent a few months farming in 1940 with Allison Thomas at St. Stephen. He then worked as a lumberman for Mark McShane at Rolling Dam for a further few months. His sport interests were hockey and baseball. |
Douglas enlisted on 27 February 1941 and after training was sent to the U.K. where he arrived at 3PRC on 4 November 1941. He went on to 415 Sqn on 13 November 1941, 405 Sqn on 27 November 1942, 1659 CU 18 December 1942, 405 Sqn 16 January 1943 and eventually arrived at 405 Squadron on 4 April 1943. Douglas had a brother, named Marvin Foster Black, born 1921. He was with the Corps. of Military Staff and served with Force C , the 1st Battn. Royal Rifles of Canada. He served in Ontario and Hong Kong and sadly lost his life out there on 19 December 1941. He is buried in Hong Kong. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1788/16 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1788/15 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 09-08-1943 |
End Date | 10-08-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Gransden Lodge |
Day/Night Raid | Night (59% moon) |
Operation | Mannheim. 457 aircraft, 9 losses (2.0%). Cloud cover meant that the target marking plan didn't work out and bombing was scattered as a result. Nevertheless, much damage was caused with 1316 buildings destroyed or rendered useless and 42 industrial premises suffered loss of production, filing compensation claims for over £4M. |
Reason for Loss | Short down by a night-fighter and crashed NW of St Hubert, Belgium |