Speller, Thomas Herbert
Personal Information
Rank | F/O |
Forename(s) | Thomas Herbert |
Surname | Speller |
Gender | M |
Age | 24 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 25-04-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of James and Marguerite Isabel Speller, of Bourne End, Buckinghamshire. Husband of Violet Winifred Speller, of Bourne End. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax III |
Serial Number | LW515 |
Markings | EY-A |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Belgium |
Burial/Memorial Place | Heverlee War Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Coll. grave 2. J. 8-13. |
Epitaph | A SILENT THOUGHT BRINGS MANY A TEAR FOR ONE I LOST AND LOVED SO DEAR |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 245 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 133029 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 4 |
Squadron | 78 |
Trade | Pilot |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Adjacent to Clubhouse, Breighton Airfield, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Marble Tablet |
Memorial Text | Dedicated to all who served at this airfield and gave their lives during World War II |
Location | External, All Saints Church, Bubwith, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stone Memorial, inscribed Metal Plaque |
Memorial Text | 78 Sqn 4 Group Bomber Command Yorkshire 1939 - 1945 To All Who Served |
Location | Internal, All Saints Church, Bubwith, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Wooden Board, Memorial Chapel featuring Cross made from Halifax wreckage |
Memorial Text | The 78 Sqn Memorial in the Churchyard was dedicated by the Bishop of Selby on 7th September 1986. RAF Breighton, two miles from this church was the Sqn's home from June 1943 to May 1945 |
Location | Outside "B" Hangar, RAF Benson, Oxfordshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Memorial Stone & Inscribed Slate Plaque |
Memorial Text | In proud memory of all who have lost their lives serving with 78 Sqn Royal Air Force "Nemo Non Paratus - Nobody Unprepared" |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/661/8 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/661/7 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 24-04-1944 |
End Date | 25-04-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Breighton |
Day/Night Raid | Night (6% moon) |
Operation | Karlsruhe. 637 aircraft, 19 losses (3.0%). A combination of cloud and a strong wind meant that PFF marked too far north of the target. As a result, most bombs fell outside the city and some aircraft bombed alternative targets as they were unable to find Karlsruhe. Opinion is divided about the casualties |
Reason for Loss | Crashed at le Culot, SSE of Leuven, Belgium |