Kopp, John Walter
Personal Information
Rank | P/O |
Forename(s) | John Walter |
Surname | Kopp |
Gender | M |
Age | 24 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 21-02-1945 |
Next of Kin | Son of John Kapostinski and Malkau Kopp (née Brunslava), of Whitemouth , Manitoba, Canada. John changed his name to Kopp and the whole family were then known by this surname. Husband of Frances Muriel Kopp (née Chanon), whom he married on 9 November 1943 at Lethbridge, Alberta. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Avro Lancaster X |
Serial Number | KB809 |
Markings | SW-Q |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Germany |
Burial/Memorial Place | Reichswald Forest War Cemetery |
Grave Reference | 4. F. 2. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 195 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | J/89848 |
Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
Group | 6 |
Squadron | 431 (Iroquois) |
Trade | Pilot |
Country of Origin | Canada |
Other Memorials
Location | Kopp Island, Manitoba; On the eastern bank of Reindeer Lake |
Country | Canada |
Memorial Type | Island |
Memorial Text |
Location | Race Control Building, Croft Auto Circuit, North Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque |
Memorial Text | In memory of those who served at RAF Croft, 1941-1945 including 419 Sqn RCAF |
Location | Roadside Location, A167, Dalton on Tees, North Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Stone Memorial topped with metal statue |
Memorial Text | In memory of those who served at RAF Croft, 1941-1945 including 419 Sqn RCAF |
Location | Adjacent to A19, Burn, North Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Memorial Stone |
Memorial Text | A memorial to all those who served on 431 Sqn RCAF at RCAF Burn, 1942-1943 |
Location | Village Green, Tholthorpe, North Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Memorial Stone with inscribed metal plaques & Maple Tree |
Memorial Text | In memory of all those who served at RCAF Tholthorpe during WW2 including 431 Sqn RCAF |
Location | Old Control Tower, former airfield site, Tholthorpe, North Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque |
Memorial Text | In memory of all those who served at RCAF Tholthorpe during WW2 including 431 Sqn RCAF |
Miscellaneous Information
John was born on 19 August 1920 at Whitemouth , Manitoba. His father, who was a C.P.R. Section Foreman, was born in Warsaw, Poland and his mother was born in Zhitomir, Russia. He had two brothers, Stanley and Warley and two sisters Helen and Mary. A third brother, Flt.Sgt. Ben P. Kopp was sadly killed in action in May 1941. The schools he attended were Rennie Public, 1926-1934 followed by St.Paul’s College 1934-1935 (Grade 10). The sports he enjoyed were baseball and hockey. John worked as a labourer at Manitoba Forest between 1935-1940 and then spent a month in 1940 as a Picketman at Manitoba Surveys Branch. Between March and July 1941 he was working as a carpenter for T.G. Gale & Co. at Oshawa, Ontario. |
After enlisting on 18 August 1941 and completing his training, John embarked from Halifax on 24 November 1943, arriving in the U.K.at 3 PRC on 2 December 1943. He then went to 15(P)AFU on 4 April 1944, 82 OTU on 4 July 1944, 61 Base 27 September 1941, 1666 CU 29 November and 431 Squadron on 7 December 1944. John sadly lost his life on 21 February 1945. |
His mother's name is variously given as Melkau and Malkau. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1858/28 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1858/27 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 20-02-1945 |
End Date | 21-02-1945 |
Takeoff Station | Croft |
Day/Night Raid | Night (68% moon) |
Operation | Dortmund- to attack the southern half of the city. 528 aircraft, 14 Lancasters lost. The southern half of the city was destroyed. The air-raid recording seems to have broken down completely by this point as there are no details of this raid. |
Reason for Loss | Crashed at Hohensyburg, SSE of Dortmund |