Courtney, James Boyd
Personal Information
Rank | P/O |
Forename(s) | James Boyd |
Surname | Courtney |
Gender | M |
Age | 23 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 05-03-1943 |
Next of Kin | Son of Alex and Margaret Courtney (née Boyd), of Lawton, North Dakota, USA. Husband of Edna May Courtney (née Eastment), of Hornchurch, Essex. Date of marriage 21 November 1942 at the Church of St.Peter in the Forest, Woodford Green, Essex. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Short Stirling I |
Serial Number | R9271 |
Markings | WP-Q |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Runnymede Memorial |
Grave Reference | Panel 175. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 149 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | J/16713 |
Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
Group | 3 |
Squadron | 90 |
Trade | Air Gunner |
Country of Origin | United States of America |
Other Memorials
Location | Roadside location, Tilbury Juxta Clare, Essex |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Marble Memorial |
Memorial Text | In memory of the Airmen of XC Sqn, No 3 Bomb Group flying operations from here with the Mk 1 Stirling Bomber December 1943 until May 1943 |
Location | St. Mary & All the Saints Church, Little Walsingham, Norfolk |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Stone Tablet |
Memorial Text | In loving memory of Henry Philip Lee Warner AFC DFC. Only Son of Philip Henry & Mary King Lee Warner. Actg S/L RAFVR killed in action over Germany Aug 26th 1944 in his 32nd year |
Location | Village Green, Tuddenham, Suffolk |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Memorial atopped with Inscribed Silver Sun-Dial |
Memorial Text | For all those who served their country as part of XC Sqn RAF |
Location | St. Mary's Church, Tuddenham, Suffolk |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Framed Sqn Roll of Honour |
Memorial Text | They grow not old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn. At the going down of the Sun and in the morning, we will remember them |
Miscellaneous Information
James was born on 23 February 1920 at Lawton, North Dakota, USA. Both of his parents were born in Ireland but the whole family had Amercian citizenship. His mother died in 1941 and his father in 1943. He had two brothers , William who lived in Seattle and David Anderson, who was in Washington in the US army. He also had four married sisters: Lillian, Hannah, Agnes and Alice. He attended Eastview School in Lawton 1928-1934 (general) and then in 1934-1938 when he studied Business Law. (High School entrance, USA). Grade XI. His sport interests were basketball, baseball, and hunting and both ice and roller skating. His hobby was stamp collecting. Between 1938 and 1939 he took on a couple of short term labouring jobs ( 2 weeks and 2 months) and then the US. CCC course, 1939-1940, where he was a labourer and also an Editor. |
James enlisted in Winnipeg on 10 March 1941 and after training arrived in the U.K. at 3 PRC on 26 December 1941. He was then at 7 AGS on 6 June 1942 and 14 OTU on 7 July 1942. No more movements are shown in his records. Sadly James was to lose his life on 5 March 1943 from 90 Squadron. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/731/12 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/731/11 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 05-03-1943 |
End Date | 06-03-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Ridgewell |
Day/Night Raid | Night (0% moon) |
Operation | Essen. 442 aircraft, 14 losses (3.2%). This raid included the 100000th raid of the war. 56 aircraft turned back due to technical defects, 3 of which were Oboe equipped target markers. The remaining PFF Mosquitoes marked the target perfectly, however, despite the usual haze that obscured the town. Some 160 acres of destruction were wreaked with 53 separate buildings of the Krupps works hit. More than 3000 residential properties were destroyed. |
Reason for Loss | Crashed just east of Sankt Peter, Germany |