Cleaver, John Barry
Personal Information
Rank | P/O |
Forename(s) | John Barry |
Surname | Cleaver |
Gender | M |
Age | 24 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 15-08-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of Harold Cleaver and Margaret Cleaver (née Yates), of Kingsmill, Ontario, Canada. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Avro Lancaster X |
Serial Number | KB749 |
Markings | NA-A |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Netherlands |
Burial/Memorial Place | Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Plot 13. Row 1. Grave 14. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 145 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | J/89903 |
Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
Group | 6 |
Squadron | 428 (Ghost) |
Trade | Wireless Operator |
Country of Origin | Canada |
Other Memorials
Location | Adjacent to fomer St. Georges Hotel, Teesside Airport, County Durham |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Memorial Stone with inscribed slate tablets |
Memorial Text | Dedicated to all who served on 428 (RCAF) Sqn at Middleton St. George during WWII, especially those who made the supreme sacrifice |
Miscellaneous Information
John was born on 21 September 1919 at Aylmer, Ontario. Both parents were born in England, his father was from Rutland and was a farmer and his mother from Lancashire. He has one brother, Charles. John went to Aylmer Public School 1924-1933 and then the High School 1933-1936. He achieved High School Entrance and Junior Matric. His sport interests were baseball, basketball , swimming, golf and tennis, He worked as a helper to his father at Kingsmill, 1936-1937, then for Scott Jackson Construction as a service truck driver 1937-1938 and finally for the Carnation Milk Company in Aylmer, as foreman at receiving station 1938-1941. |
John enlisted on 10 March 1941 and later embarked from New York on 8 October 1943. After arriving in the U.K at 3 PRC on 17 October 1943 he went to 82 OTU 9 November 1943, 61 Base 19 March 1944 and 428 Squadron 20 April 1944. Sadly John was to lose his life on 15 August 1944. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1850/16 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1850/15 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 15-08-1944 |
End Date | 15-08-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Middleton St. George |
Day/Night Raid | Day |
Operation | Soesterberg- to bomb an airfield. Part of a 1004 strong bomber force to bomb 9 airfields in Holland and Belgium in readiness for a new night offensive on German cities. Weather conditions were excellent and all raids were considered successful. 3 aircraft lost (0.3%%) |
Reason for Loss | Exploded, throwing clear the pilot and flight engineer, both whom became PoW |