Booth, Lewis Alfred Died
Personal Information
| Rank | P/O |
| Forename(s) | Lewis Alfred |
| Surname | Booth |
| Gender | M |
| Age | 33 |
| Date of Death | 26-06-1942 |
| Next of Kin | Son of Alfred and Amie Helena Booth. Husband of Gladys Louise Booth, of Huby, Leeds, Yorkshire. Father of Michael Booth. |
Aircraft Information
| Aircraft | Short Stirling I |
| Serial Number | W7442 |
| Markings | -B |
Memorial Information
| Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
| Burial/Memorial Place | Runnymede Memorial |
| Grave Reference | Panel 68. |
IBCC Memorial Information
| Phase | 2 |
| Panel Number | 133 |
Enlistment Information
| Service Number | 118627 |
| Service | Royal Air Force |
| Squadron | 1651 CU |
| Trade | Observer |
| Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Miscellaneous Information
| He played seven international rugby matches for England |
| Born 26 September 1909. He was educated initially at Giggleswick School in Yorkshire, after which he transferred to Malsis School Keighley, becoming one of sixteen boys who was lost during the war and since commemorated on the school chapel’s stained glass window. He attended Malsis for two years. |
| Ten years after he left the school, Booth made his international rugby debut in a game against Wales at Twickenham (21 January 1933), in front of a crowd of 64,000 fans; a game in which Wales beat England by 7 points to 3. Booth played his last international match against Scotland at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield stadium two years later on 16 March 1935. Throughout his two year international rugby career he achieved seven caps for England and scored three tries, his first for England against Ireland at Twickenham, on 11th February 1933. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
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 |
|---|---|
| Bennett W (Sgt) | Died |
| Coates R (Sgt) | Died |
| Flynn F L (P/O) | Died |
| Graham J (P/O) | Died |
| Kenny A J (P/O) | Died |
| Livingston W M (F/L) | Died |
Last Operation Information
| Start Date | 25-06-1942 |
| End Date | 26-06-1942 |
| Takeoff Station | Waterbeach |
| Day/Night Raid | Night (90% moon) |
| Operation | Bremen. 960 Bomber Command aircraft were joined by 102 from Coastal Command. The stiff wind that kept cloud cover away by day dropped, allowing cloud to form over the target and made identification difficult. Attack mainly centred on the Focke-Wulf factory and the A. G. Weser and Deschimag shipyards. Gee equipped markers lit fires which most bombers then bombed, making the results more impressive than the Essen 1000 bomber raid. Very high OTU losses due to old aircraft and inexperience, making total losses 5%. 91 Group lost 11.6% of its aircraft |
| Reason for Aircraft Loss | Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed in the Waddenzee |