Whitham, Lester Lyle
Personal Information
Rank | F/O |
Forename(s) | Lester Lyle |
Surname | Whitham |
Gender | M |
Age | 23 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 03-11-1943 |
Next of Kin | Son of Harry Whitham and Agnes Catherine Whitham (Nee Huffman), of North Bay, Ontario, Canada. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax V |
Serial Number | LK954 |
Markings | NA-E |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Cambridge City Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Grave 13721. |
Epitaph | GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 264 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | J/22492 |
Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
Group | 6 |
Squadron | 428 (Ghost) |
Trade | Navigator |
Country of Origin | Canada |
Other Memorials
Location | South Kyme Golf Club, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Brick Memorial with inscribed slate tablet |
Memorial Text | Dedicated to the crew of Halifax LK954 LK-E of 428 (RCAF) Sqn who crashed near here 3rd Nov 1943 |
Location | South Kyme Golf Club, Lincolnshire - 2nd memorial |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Brick Memorial with inscribed slate tablet & concrete tablet |
Memorial Text | Dedicated to the crew of Halifax LK954 LK-E of 428 (RCAF) Sqn who crashed near here 3rd Nov 1943 |
Location | Adjacent to fomer St. Georges Hotel, Teesside Airport, County Durham |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Memorial Stone with inscribed slate tablets |
Memorial Text | Dedicated to all who served on 428 (RCAF) Sqn at Middleton St. George during WWII, especially those who made the supreme sacrifice |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1849/22 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1849/21 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 03-11-1943 |
End Date | 04-11-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Middleton St. George |
Day/Night Raid | Night (37% moon) |
Operation | Düsseldorf. 589 aircraft, 7 losses (3.1%). The local report is sparse, no doubt due to the sheer onslaught they had received in recent weeks. There was, however, extensive damage to both industrial and residential buildings. This was the first raid to include the G-H blind bombing system, who whilst acting as part of the main force attempted to bomb the Mannesmann tubular steel works in the city. Of the 38 aircraft so quipped, 5 returned early and two were Lost On 16 of the remaining aircraft the equipment failed to function correctly, leaving only 15 to bomb the factory. The local report does mention that 'several assembly halls were burnt out' so the experiment was a qualified success. |
Reason for Loss | Crashed at South Kyme, NE of Sleaford, Lincs |