Smith, Edwin Died

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Personal Information

Rank Sgt
Forename(s) Edwin
Surname Smith
Gender M
Age 27
Date of Death 20-12-1943
Next of Kin Son of Russell Smith and Lillie M. Smith of London, Ontario, Canada.
SMITH E 480

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Handley Page Halifax II
Serial Number JD474
Markings ZA-R

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Germany
Burial/Memorial Place Rheinberg War Cemetery
Grave Reference Coll. grave 9. H. 1-5.

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 243
SMITH E 480

Location

Row -
Panel 243
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 2
Panel Number 243

Enlistment Information

Service Number R/51480
Service Royal Canadian Air Force
Group 4
Squadron 10
Squadron Motto Rem acu tangere (To hit the mark)
Trade Air Gunner
Country of Origin Canada

Other Memorials

Location Edwin Smith Lake, Manitoba; 25km SW of the Wapusk National Park boundary
Country Canada
Memorial Type Lake
Memorial Text
Location Melbourne, East Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Brick Memorial Stone & Plaque
Memorial Text No 10 Squadron, 4 Group Bomber Command, WWII 1939-1945. This memorial was erected at the entrance to the former RAF Station Melbourne by ex Members and Friends of the Squadron to honour the memory of all personnel who died in the service of their Country during WWII and as a tribute to the many friends in the Villages of Melbourne and Seaton Ross for their many deeds of kindness.
Location Melbourne Airfield, East Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Runway Light in Concrete Base
Memorial Text Let this landing light be a memorial to all those 1,000 aircrew and 120 aircraft that left this very point never to return so that we may return again and again in freedom to enjoy York Motor Sport Park
Location Roadside location (off E6), Fættenfjord, near Åsenfjord, Trøndelag Fylke
Country Norway
Memorial Type Inscribed memorial stone atopped with inert aerial sea mine and Tirpitz anchor chain link
Memorial Text For Frihet Til minne om Allierte Flymannskaper fra RAF drept under angrep pa det tyske slagskipet Tirpitz i Fættenfjord 1942
Translation "For freedom In memory of the Allied Aircrews from the RAF who died in attacks on the German Battleship Tirpitz in the Fættenfjord 1942 "
Location Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Memorial Gardens, Propeller, Inscribed Marble Tablets
Memorial Text In everlasting homage to the courage of those who have found their winged victory through the skies of Yorkshire
Location Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Propeller Unit & Inscribed Marble Tablets
Memorial Text They made the supreme sacrifice so that you & I may go in peace with freedom. 4 Group 1939 - 1945.
Location Heslington Hall, York, North Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text Heslington Hall 1941 - 1945, 4 Gp Headquarters Bomber Command. In remembrance of those Air & Ground personnel who made the supreme sacrifice that we all may walk in peace with freedom

Miscellaneous Information

Edwin was born on 30 January 1916 at Exeter, Ontario. His father was deceased by the time of Edwin's enlistment. He attended Rectory Street Public school (grade 8) and then two years at Sir Adam Beck, London , Ontario and a further two years at London Technical school, specialising in Motor Mechanics. He enjoyed most sports and occasionally boxing. Edwin worked at London Farmer’s Dairy as a milk salesman for four years during 1934-1938. He also spent a few months as a farm hand in 1939 as well as a spell as a mechanic for Archie Robins & Sons at Brandon, Manitoba. His occupation is shown as a motor mechanic. He was separated from his wife Angela whom he had married on 15 December 1936.
He enlisted on 6 November 1939 and after training was posted to the U.K. He embarked from Halifax on 23 June 1943, arriving at 3PRC on 2 July 1943. He then went to 20 OTU 9 July 1943, 1658 CU 17 September 1943 and 10 Squadron on 22 November 1943. Edwin sadly lost his life on 20 December 1943.

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/144/24
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/144/24

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
Berry S A (F/S) Died
Morris D G (F/S) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 20-12-1943
End Date 21-12-1943
Takeoff Station Melbourne
Day/Night Raid Night (39% moon)
Operation Frankfurt. 650 aircraft, 41 losses (6.3%). The German controllers were able to accurately plot the route as soon as the main force left the English coast and were therefore able to deploy night-fighters at many points along its route. A diversionary raid on Mannheim failed to draw off many fighters until the main raid was over. The target was mainly cloud covered whereas the forecast had predicted clear conditions. Marking did not, therefore, go to plan. The Germans used both decoy fires and also decoy target indicator. By a twist of good fortune, considerable creepback resulted in the bombing coming back over the city. Many public and municipal buildings were hit including many schools. 23000 people were bombed out of their homes.
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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.