Eaton, Robert George Died

Back

Personal Information

Rank F/O
Forename(s) Robert George
Surname Eaton
Gender M
Age 31
Date of Death 03-11-1943
Next of Kin Son of Bertram Holtby Eaton and Florence Myers Eaton. Husband of Elizabeth Ramsden Eaton, of Thornhill, Ontario, Canada.
EATON RG

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Handley Page Halifax V
Serial Number LK954
Markings NA-E

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place Cambridge City Cemetery
Grave Reference Spec. Mem. Grave 14143.
Epitaph THERE IS A LINK DEATH CANNOT SEVER LOVE AND REMEMBRANCE LAST FOR EVER

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 159
EATON RG

Location

Row -
Panel 159
Column -
Line -

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

Phase 2
Panel Number 159

Enlistment Information

Service Number C/20879
Service Royal Canadian Air Force
Group 6
Squadron 428 (Ghost)
Squadron Motto Usque ad finem (To the very end)
Trade Pilot
Country of Origin Canada

Other Memorials

Location South Kyme Golf Club, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Brick Memorial with inscribed slate tablet
Memorial Text Dedicated to the crew of Halifax LK954 LK-E of 428 (RCAF) Sqn who crashed near here 3rd Nov 1943
Location South Kyme Golf Club, Lincolnshire - 2nd memorial
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Brick Memorial with inscribed slate tablet & concrete tablet
Memorial Text Dedicated to the crew of Halifax LK954 LK-E of 428 (RCAF) Sqn who crashed near here 3rd Nov 1943
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
Location Allerton Park Castle, Allerton, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text Memorial Garden dedicated to the 4272 personnel of 6 (RCAF) Gp based at Allerton Castle who gave the ultimate sacrifice during WWII to preserve our freedom
Location Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Propeller Unit & Inscribed Marble Tablets
Memorial Text Dedicated to the men & women of 6 (RCAF) Gp Bomber Command and to the 9980 Canadians lost serving in Bomber Command.

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1849/22
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1849/22

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
Elmore B A (F/O) Died
Hodgkinson A K (F/O) Died
MacKenzie A E (P/O) Died
Moss A E (Sgt) Died
Shimwell H B (Sgt) Died
Weigh A D (Sgt) Died
Whitham L L (F/O) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 03-11-1943
End Date 04-11-1943
Takeoff Station Middleton St. George
Day/Night Raid Night (37% moon)
Operation Düsseldorf. 589 aircraft, 7 losses (3.1%). The local report is sparse, no doubt due to the sheer onslaught they had received in recent weeks. There was, however, extensive damage to both industrial and residential buildings. This was the first raid to include the G-H blind bombing system, who whilst acting as part of the main force attempted to bomb the Mannesmann tubular steel works in the city. Of the 38 aircraft so quipped, 5 returned early and two were Lost On 16 of the remaining aircraft the equipment failed to function correctly, leaving only 15 to bomb the factory. The local report does mention that 'several assembly halls were burnt out' so the experiment was a qualified success.
Reason for Aircraft Loss Crashed at South Kyme, NE of Sleaford, Lincs
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.