Watson, Rayden Frederick Died

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Personal Information

Rank F/O
Forename(s) Rayden Frederick
Surname Watson
Gender M
Age 24
Date of Death 11-12-1942
Next of Kin Son of Fred Watson and Vera Gertrude Watson (née Mutters) of Chatham, Ontario, Canada.
WATSON RF 430

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Handley Page Halifax II
Serial Number DT579
Markings NP-V

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country France
Burial/Memorial Place Villeneuve-en-Montagne Cemetery
Grave Reference Coll. grave.

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 261
WATSON RF 430

Location

Row -
Panel 261
Column -
Line -

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

Phase 2
Panel Number 261

Enlistment Information

Service Number J/16430
Service Royal Canadian Air Force
Group 4
Squadron 158
Squadron Motto Strength in unity
Trade Air Bomber
Country of Origin Canada

Other Memorials

Location "Les Gautheys", Villeneuve-en-Montagne, 71 - Saone-et-Loir Prefecture
Country France
Memorial Type Inscribed stone memorial
Memorial Text Ici tombe un avion allie abattu par la dca Allemande le 11 Decembre 1942 le corps des sept aviateurs qui y trouverent la mort repose au cimetiere communal
Translation "Here fell an Allied aircraft shot down by German anti-aircraft fire on December 11, 1942; the bodies of the seven airmen who lost their lives rest in the communal cemetery."
Location St. James of Compostola Church, Lissett, East Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Memorial Stone & Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text Memorial to 158 Sqn, RAF Lissett 28th February 1943 - 17th August 1946
Location St. James of Compostola Church, Lissett, East Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Stained Glass Window & Inscribed Metal Plaques
Memorial Text A stained glass window in memory of 158 Sqn RAF
Location Adjacent to former airfield, Lissett, East Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Metal Sculpture, Wind Turbines & Info Board
Memorial Text 12 wind turbines named after Halifax Bombers of 158 Sqn and groundcrew who were killed on 2nd July 1943
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

Rayden was born on 31 August 1918 at West Worthing, Sussex , England. His father was born at Campbellton, New Brunswick and worked at the Surveyors Union Gas Company of Ontario. His mother was born at West Worthing, England. He had two sisters Joan and Mary and brothers Maxwell (aged 16) and P/O Waldron Worthing Watson at RAF Delbert, Nova Scotia, who sadly lost his life from 425 Sqn on 19 July 1944 (losses.intenationalbcc.co.uk/loss/229628). He attended Grammar School, 1925-1933 and then Chatham Collegiate, Ontario 1933- 1935. The sports he enjoyed were hockey, swimming, rowing and football and he liked to make sail boats. Rayden worked at the Mortgage Company Canada Trust Co, as a clerk and ledger keeper for over five years. He enlisted on 11 November 1940.
After training he was posted to the U.K. and embarked from Canada on 13 December 1941, arriving at 3PRC on 20 December. He then continued to 2 S S on 20 January 1942, 10 OTU 24 March 1942, and 158 Squadron on 9 July 1942. Very sadly Rayden was to lose his life from 158 Squadron on 11 December 1942.

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1048/22
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1048/22

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
Aris J B (F/O) Died
Collyer D R (P/O) Died
Edlington R (Sgt) Died
Furniss J W (Sgt) Died
Middleton H (F/S) Died
Sparke C L (F/L) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 11-12-1942
End Date 12-12-1942
Takeoff Station Rufforth
Day/Night Raid Night (21% moon)
Operation Turin. 82 aircraft, 4 losses (4.8%). Many crews turned back before crossing the Alps due to extreme icing. 28 crews bombed the city but the local authorities only report 3 high explosive bombs fell, 2 of which did not explode.
Reason for Aircraft Loss Crashed at Villeneuve en Montagne, France
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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.