Metcalf, Rowland Stafford
Personal Information
Rank | F/S |
Forename(s) | Rowland Stafford |
Surname | Metcalf |
Gender | M |
Age | 33 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 30-05-1943 |
Next of Kin | Son of John Thomas Metcalf and Lillian Metcalf. Husband of Beatrice Metcalf, of Handforth, Cheshire. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax II |
Serial Number | JB805 |
Markings | VR-B |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Belgium |
Burial/Memorial Place | Charleroi Communal Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Coll. grave, Row V. 24-26. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 211 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 656658 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 6 |
Squadron | 419 (Moose) |
Trade | Navigator |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | St. Mary's Church, Handforth, Cheshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Brass Altar Vase |
Memorial Text | Im memory of Flt Sgt R S Metcalf and the crew of Halifax JB805, shot down over Belgium 30th May 1943 |
Location | Outside Former St. Georges Hotel, Teesside Airport, County Durham |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Slate Memorial Tablet on Stone Memorial |
Memorial Text | A memorial to Nos 419, 420 and 428 Sqns RCAF who flew from RAF Middleton St George during WW2 |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1822/32 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1822/31 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 29-05-1943 |
End Date | 30-05-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Middleton St. George |
Day/Night Raid | Night (16% moon) |
Operation | Wuppertal. 719 aircraft, 33 losses(4.6%). PFF target marking and the resultant main force bombing was especially accurate, leading to what was probably the first instance of a 'firestorm'. Five of the six largest factories in the town, 211 other industrial premises and almost 4000 homes were completely destroyed. Approximately 3400 deaths- five times greater than any other city raid. |
Reason for Loss | Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed ESE of Mons, Belgium |