Collingwood, Lewis
Personal Information
Rank | Sgt |
Forename(s) | Lewis |
Surname | Collingwood |
Gender | M |
Age | 19 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 22-01-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of Thomas and Margaret Collingwood, of Beith. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax III |
Serial Number | HX344 |
Markings |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Beith New Burial Ground |
Grave Reference | Sec. O. Grave 79. |
Epitaph | DEARLY LOVED BY ALL AND SO SADLY MISSED |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 146 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 1823042 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 4 |
Squadron | 158 |
Trade | Air Gunner |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | St. James of Compostola Church, Lissett, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Memorial Stone & Inscribed Metal Plaque |
Memorial Text | Memorial to 158 Sqn, RAF Lissett 28th February 1943 - 17th August 1946 |
Location | St. James of Compostola Church, Lissett, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stained Glass Window & Inscribed Metal Plaques |
Memorial Text | A stained glass window in memory of 158 Sqn RAF |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1049/2 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1049/1 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 21-01-1944 |
End Date | 22-01-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Lissett |
Day/Night Raid | Night (18% moon) |
Operation | Magdeburg |
Reason for Loss | On the return leg the crew became lost off the east coast. They spent 25 minutes searching for their base and as a result the aircraft ran low on fuel. When the fuel situation becoming critical the pilot ordered all but the air bomber to bale out. Three of the four engines had been shut down and the propellers feathered. Of the five that baled out, sadly two appear to have been too low for their parachutes to deploy properly and were killed. The pilot crash-landed the aircraft near Lissett. There appears to have been a problem with the hydraulic system- a split in a hydraulic pipe may have caused the undercarriage to lower earlier than necessary, resulting in a higher than normal fuel consumption. The aircraft was later salvaged and repaired. |