Burke, Robert Weaver
Personal Information
Rank | F/O |
Forename(s) | Robert Weaver |
Surname | Burke |
Gender | M |
Age | 26 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 06-09-1943 |
Next of Kin | Son of Ray Palmer Burke and Louella May Burke (née Weaver), of Kirkland Acres, Washington, USA. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax II |
Serial Number | JD410 |
Markings | VR-V |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Germany |
Burial/Memorial Place | Rheinberg War Cemetery |
Grave Reference | 18. G. 11. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 138 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | J/20261 |
Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
Group | 6 |
Squadron | 419 (Moose) |
Trade | Air Bomber |
Country of Origin | United States of America |
Other Memorials
Location | Outside Former St. Georges Hotel, Teesside Airport, County Durham |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Slate Memorial Tablet on Stone Memorial |
Memorial Text | A memorial to Nos 419, 420 and 428 Sqns RCAF who flew from RAF Middleton St George during WW2 |
Miscellaneous Information
Robert was born on 31 August 1917 at Kirkland Acres, Washington, USA. His father was born at Olympia, Washington and was a High School teacher and his mother (who died 1929) was born in Iowa. He had 3 sisters: Ann Louise (shown as next of kin), who was a 2nd Ltnt at the Army nurse training centre in Tacoma. Another sister was in the U.S.N.R. and the youngest was Patricia, who was still living at home. The schools he attended were the Roosevelt Grade School, Olympia 1924-1931, Olympia High 1931-1935 (scientific course) and the University of Washington 1939-1940 (medicine). His hobbies were reading and sport which included American football, baseball and basketball. He worked as a messenger for Western Union 1935-1936, was then a construction worker for M.W.A.K. Co. in Mason City, Washington between 1936 and 1939 and then spent three months as a clerk in Seattle between 1940 and 1941. Robert then enlisted on 21 August 1941 (while the US was still neutral) and did not swear an Oath to the King. He had earlier served in the Canadian Field Force in Victoria, B.C and was then discharged so he could join the RCAF. |
After training Robert was posted to the U.K. and arrived at 3 PRC on 15 January 1943, he then shows up at 24 OTU on 6 April 1943, 1659 CU 27 June and 419 Squadron 19 April 1943. Sadly Robert then lost his life on 6 September 1943. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1822/40 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1822/39 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 05-09-1943 |
End Date | 06-09-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Middleton St. George |
Day/Night Raid | Night (34% moon) |
Operation | Mannheim/ Ludwigshafen. 605 aircraft, 34 losses (5.6%). Clear conditions- PFF marking plan worked perfectly. The main force approached from the west so that they could bomb Mannheim first and then move on to Ludwigshafen. Little creepback took place and much damage was caused to both targets. The normally detailed report from Mannheim was much less so, suggesting that the raid was so severe that the normal information gathering procedures has broken down amidst the destruction. Ludwigshafen described the raid simply as 'a catastrophe'. In the latter, 1080 dwellings, 6 military buildings and 4 industrial buildings were destroyed. The death toll was relatively low for such a large raid- 127- perhaps indicating that much of the city's population had been evacuated in the wake of the firestorm incident in Hamburg. |
Reason for Loss | Hit by flak and broke up over the target area |