Smith, Charles Thomas
Personal Information
Rank | WO2 |
Forename(s) | Charles Thomas |
Surname | Smith |
Gender | M |
Age | 22 |
Date of Death | 26-05-1943 |
Next of Kin | Son of Charles Rutherford Smith and Rosina Elizabeth Smith. Husband of Hattie Margaret Smith, of Gondola Point, King's Co., New Brunswick, Canada. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Short Stirling III |
Serial Number | BF534 |
Markings | LS-L |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Germany |
Burial/Memorial Place | Rheinberg War Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Coll. grave 4. D. 5-20. |
Epitaph | NOT DISSATISFIED IF IT MADE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 243 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | R/84977 |
Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
Group | 3 |
Squadron | 15 (XV) |
Squadron Motto | Aim Sure |
Trade | Navigator |
Country of Origin | Canada |
Other Memorials
Location | Church of St. John, Beck Row, Suffolk |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Slate Tablet on rear external wall of Church |
Memorial Text | In remembrance of all who served at RAF Mildenhall and associated aerodromes in the cause of freedom, 1939-1945 |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/203/58 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/203/57 |
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.
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 25-05-1943 |
End Date | 26-05-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Mildenhall |
Day/Night Raid | Night (57% moon) |
Operation | Dusseldorf. 759 aircraft, 27 losses (3.6%). This raid was a failure since PFF had great difficulty in marking the target due to two layers of cloud. Decoy fires and markers were also being operated. Bombing was scattered as a result. |
Reason for Loss | Caught in the blast of an exploding Halifax (JB837 KN-D) from 77 Squadron. Crashed near Jülich, Germany |