MULLIN GJ
Mullin, Gordon Joseph Died
Personal Information
| Rank | F/O |
| Forename(s) | Gordon Joseph |
| Surname | Mullin |
| Gender | M |
| Age | 27 |
| Date of Death | 01-11-1944 |
| Next of Kin | Son of Ruggles Howard Mullin and Ada Henrietta Mullin (née Brimmell), of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. |
Aircraft Information
| Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax VII |
| Serial Number | NP709 |
| Markings | OW-A |
Memorial Information
| Burial/Memorial Country | Germany |
| Burial/Memorial Place | Rheinberg War Cemetery |
| Grave Reference | 11. E. 8. |
IBCC Memorial Information
| Phase | 2 |
| Panel Number | 216 |
Enlistment Information
| Service Number | J/36947 |
| Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Group | 6 |
| Squadron | 426 (Thunderbird) |
| Squadron Motto | On wings of fire |
| Trade | Navigator |
| Country of Origin | Canada |
Other Memorials
| Location | Mullin Lake, Manitoba; Between Caribou Sands Park Reserve and Great Island |
| Country | Canada |
| Memorial Type | Lake |
| Memorial Text |
| Location | Adjacent to Village Hall, Dishforth, North Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Memorial Stone with Inscribed Metal Plaque & Maple Tree |
| Memorial Text | In memory of the Canadian aircrew of 425 and 426 Sqns RCAF who served at RAF Dishforth, 1942-1945 |
| Location | Outside Village Hall, Linton on Ouse, North Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Memorial Stone with inscribed Slate Tablet |
| Memorial Text | In memory of Canadian personnel who served at RAF Linton on Ouse during WW2, including 408 and 426 Sqns RCAF |
| 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. |
Miscellaneous Information
| Gordon was born on 16 February 1917 at Winnipeg, Manitoba. His father was born at Alcove, Quebec and was a C.N.R. Conductor, and his mother was born at Fort William, Ontario. He had one brother, Howard Harry. The schools he attended were Sioux Lookout, Ontario, (Public school,)1922-1930 followed by Gordon Bell, Winnipeg, 1931-1934. Gordon then spent three months in 1938 at Success Business College studying bookkeeping. He worked at the Swift Canadian Company in the Distribution Department 1937-1939 and then in the Canadian National Rail Investigation Department between 1938-1942 where he was a Constable. His sporting interests were shooting, golf and tennis. |
| On 23 June 1942 Gordon enlisted and after training was posted to the U.K. He embarked from Canada on 1 November 1943 and arrived at 3 PRC on 10 November 1943. He then continued to 1(0) AFU on 29 February 1944, 11 Base 13 July 1944, 61 Base 18 July 1944, 1659 CU 26 July 1944 and 426 Squadron on 7 October 1944. Shortly after his arrival Gordon very sadly lost his life on 1st November 1944. |
| He was on his second operational sortie |
| The crew except for Flt Lt Anderson were initially buried on 3 November 1944 behind the Chapel near the hedge in the Evangelic Cemtery at Haan and were reinterred 28 May 1947. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
| Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1842/22 |
| Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1842/22 |
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 |
|---|---|
| Anderson W F (F/O) | Died |
| Edgell T R (F/S) | Died |
| Goble C C (P/O) | Died |
| Griffith L G (F/S) | Died |
| Langton J (Sgt) | Died |
| McLea J A (P/O) | Died |
Last Operation Information
| Start Date | 01-11-1944 |
| End Date | 02-11-1944 |
| Takeoff Station | Linton-on-Ouse |
| Day/Night Raid | Night (97% moon) |
| Operation | Oberhausen. 288 aircraft, 4 losses (1.4%). The target was cloud-covered and bombing was scattered. Little damage to the target |
| Reason for Aircraft Loss | Attacked by Fw. Peter Oberheld of 6./NJG2. NP709 was observed circling over Haan on fire, presumably to allow crew to parachute out, and crashed on Steinstrasse, Haan at 2100, causing the death of one female resident. Two crew members failed to parachute out successfully, two or possibly three bodies were found with the aircraft. Local eyewitnesses shortly after the crash saw two airmen heading towards the crash site, and later in the custody of local SS. One is known to have escaped the SS temporarily. Six bodies, of which two were unidentified, were buried by the local pastor on 3rd November. These were later reinterred in Rheinberg War Cemetery. The two airmen who parachuted out and (contrary to their escape training and for their mates' sakes) headed towards the crash site are thought to have been John McLea and Leslie Griffith, the Mid-Upper from Detroit, Michigan. Had they gone in a different direction, they would have been captured not by the SS but by the local air defence corps, and the outcome might have been different. |