Collins, George Barrowby Died

Back

Personal Information

Rank F/O
Forename(s) George Barrowby
Surname Collins
Gender M
Age 19
Date of Death 11-12-1944
Next of Kin Son of Daniel George Collins and Lucy Gwendoline Collins, of Mahogany Creek, Western Australia.
COLLINS GB

Aircraft Information

Aircraft de Havilland Mosquito XVI
Serial Number MM190
Markings M5-O

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Germany
Burial/Memorial Place Becklingen War Cemetery
Grave Reference 11. B. 16.
Epitaph IN DEATH AS IN LIFE- STEADFAST

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 146
COLLINS GB

Location

Row -
Panel 146
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 2
Panel Number 146

Enlistment Information

Service Number 436900
Service Royal Australian Air Force
Group 8
Squadron 128
Squadron Motto Fulminis instar (Like a thunderbolt)
Trade Navigator
Country of Origin Australia

Other Memorials

Location RAF Wyton Memorial Garden, Wyton, Cambridgeshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Memorial Stone & Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text Commemorating the Pathfinder Sqns operating from RAF Wyton, 1942-1945

Miscellaneous Information

F/O George Barrowby Collins RAAF was born 28 February 1925 in Stockton on Tees. He enlisted in the airforce in Perth, Western Australia on 22 May 1943 and was a junior clerk on enlistment. His mother Lucy was born in 1898 in Stockton on Tees and was a Solicitor’s clerk. She married Daniel G. Collins (1898 to 20 Nov 1944) in Stockton on Tees during 1924. George arrived in Freemantle aged 15 aboard HMT Batory on 9 October 1940 to join his uncle George “Ted” Edmund Fenny (born 1903 Stockton on Tees and died 1979 Albany Western Australia).
He was promoted to Flying Officer 3 August 1944. He joined 128 Squadron at RAF Wyton 8October 1944.
Missing Investigation Report 2/9/1948: “I proceeded to Bakel to investigate the crash, as German records state that the two airmen were killed at Bakel, one named Onley and the other unknown. I interviewed Mr Schoeder, Burgermeister and Frau Stehr. They state that the aircraft crashed on 11 of Dec 1944 at about midnight. It came in from the direction of Bremen, circled and crashed in a field just outside the village. Army and Luftwaffe personnel were on the spot right away and prevented civilians getting close. Two bodies were handed to the Burgermeister for burial. One as unknown, one as R Onley. A soldier said the latter was a pilot. The wreckage was removed the next day. Frau Stehr heard rumours that several airmen had been taken prisoner. It was impossible to obtain any further information about the crash. The 2 bodies were exhumed and reburied in Soltau British Cemetery 4/12/46.”

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/932/35
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/932/35

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
Onley R C (F/L) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 11-12-1944
End Date 12-12-1944
Takeoff Station Wyton
Day/Night Raid Night (13% moon)
Operation Hamburg. One of 28 Mosquitoes
Reason for Aircraft Loss Hit by heavy flak and crashed in a field just outside Bakel, near Bremerhaven, Germany, at about midnight.
Start new losses database search Back
 
 
 
 

Please Wait

Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.