Harkness, Donald Joseph
Personal Information
Rank | S/L |
Forename(s) | Donald Joseph |
Surname | Harkness |
Gender | M |
Age | 25 |
Decorations | DFC |
Date of Death | 31-05-1942 |
Next of Kin | Son of George Percy and Georgine McKay Harkness, of Midhurst, Taranaki, New Zealand. Husband of Joan Harkness, of Esher, Surrey. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Vickers Wellington II |
Serial Number | Z8577 |
Markings | NP-T |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Netherlands |
Burial/Memorial Place | Flushing (Vlissingen) Northern Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Row D. Grave 20. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 177 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 41694 |
Service | Royal Air Force |
Group | 4 |
Squadron | 158 |
Trade | Pilot |
Country of Origin | New Zealand |
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 27/1048/8 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1048/23 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 30-05-1942 |
End Date | 31-05-1942 |
Takeoff Station | Driffield |
Day/Night Raid | Night (99% moon) |
Operation | Cologne. 1047 sortie raid- the first of the 1000 Bomber Raids. 1455 tons of bombs dropped, one third being incendiaries. Local reports state that there were 1700 large fires but no firestorm unlike Rostock and Lubeck since Cologne was a modern city with building |
Reason for Loss | Shot down on outbound leg by fighters and crashed in the Oosterschelde. The crew's bodies were washed up over several months |