Briden, Michael Franklin
Personal Information
Rank | F/O |
Forename(s) | Michael Franklin |
Surname | Briden |
Gender | M |
Age | 22 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 18-12-1939 |
Next of Kin | Son of Franklin Ellard Briden and Marion Briden. Husband of Joyce Eyre Briden, of Chesterfield, Derbyshire. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Vickers Wellington IA |
Serial Number | N2961 |
Markings | OJ-P |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Runnymede Memorial |
Grave Reference | Panel 1. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 135 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 39706 |
Service | Royal Air Force |
Group | 3 |
Squadron | 149 (East India) |
Trade | Pilot |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Church of St. John, Beck Row, Suffolk |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Slate Tablet on rear external wall of Church |
Memorial Text | In remembrance of all who served at RAF Mildenhall and associated aerodromes in the cause of freedom, 1939-1945 |
Location | St. George's Church, Methwold, Norfolk |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Roll of Honour & inscribed window |
Memorial Text | Roll of Honour of 149 Sqn RAF and a window remembering the men and women of all Nations who served at RAF Methwold, 1939-1945 |
Miscellaneous Information
Ditched off Cromer but the aircraft turned over and sank before rescuers reached the scene |
IBCC Digital Archive
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 18-12-1939 |
End Date | 18-12-1939 |
Takeoff Station | Mildenhall |
Day/Night Raid | Day |
Operation | Daylight attack on shipping off Wilhelmshaven by 24 Wellingtons |
Reason for Loss | Picked up early by an experimental German Freya radar on the island of Wangerooge and, in clear conditions, were scattered by accurate flak and then attacked by fighters. Twelve of the 22 aircraft which had reached the target area were shot down for 2 German fighters. This operation, together with an earlier and similarly disasterous operation on 14th December, had a profound effect on British bomber policy and did much to dispel the myth that bombers in a tight formation would always be safe from attacking fighters. |