Killen, John
Personal Information
Rank | F/S |
Forename(s) | John |
Surname | Killen |
Gender | M |
Age | 22 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 17-12-1943 |
Next of Kin | Son of James Melon Killen and Mary Victoria Killen. Husband of Mildred Killen, of Cadishead. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Avro Lancaster III |
Serial Number | JB219 |
Markings | OF-R |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Hollinfare Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Grave 512. |
Epitaph | RESTING WHERE NO SHADOW FALLS |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 194 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 1055997 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 8 |
Squadron | 97 (Straits Settlements) |
Trade | Air Gunner |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Haley Wood, Great Gransden, Cambridgeshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Information Board |
Memorial Text | In memory of the crew of Lancaster JB219 who were lost when the aircraft crashed in thick fog after a raid to Berlin, 17th December 1943 |
Location | Church of the Holy Spirit, RAF Coningsby, Coningsby, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stained Glass Window |
Memorial Text | A stained glass window remembering 97 Sqn in the Church of the Holy Spirit, RAF Coningsby |
Miscellaneous Information
97 Squadron Lost eight Lancasters in crashes on their return |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/767/24 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/767/23 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 16-12-1943 |
End Date | 17-12-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Bourn |
Day/Night Raid | Night (76% moon) |
Operation | Berlin. 483 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitoes and a further 5 Mosquitoes to drop decoy flares south of the city. 25 Lancasters Lost (5.2%) and many more were lost on their return to England due to very poor weather across almost all airfields. The target was cloud covered so sky-marking was used with reasonable accuracy. Most of the bombs hit housing and railway assets- very little damage was caused to industrial premises. The cumulative damage to the railway system was beginning to impact Germany's ability to deliver supplies to the eastern front by this stage. |
Reason for Loss | Crashed to the south of Gransden, Cambridgeshire |