Planes and CrewsPlanes and Crews

Technical Specs

1943-03-02-wreckage-halifax-w7877-coll-c-cornelissen-nl
1943-03-02-wreckage-halifax-w7877-with-oblt-a-geiger-coll-c-cornelissen-nl
1943-03-03-funeral-halifax-crew-w7877-2
1943-03-03-funeral-halifax-crew-w7877-3
1943-03-03-funeral-halifax-crew-w7877
1946-05-04

1 2
Type Halifax
Serial Number W7877
Squadron 35
XID TL-O
Operation Berlin
Date 1 1st march 1943
Date 2 2nd March 1943

Serial Range W7844 – W7887. 44 Halifax Mk.11.
Part of a batch of 200 HP59 Halifax Mk.11. W7650-W7679; W7695- W7720; W7745-W7784; W7801-W7826; W7844-W7887; W7906-W7939.
Delivered by Handley Page (Cricklewood & Radlett) between 3Sep42 and 23Oct42.

W7877 was initially issued to the Telcommunication Flying Unit (TFU), was attached to the Bombing Development Unit (BDU, before serving with No.35 Sqdn. Airborne 1824 1Mar43 from Graveley.
Shot down by a night-fighter (Lt August Geiger, 111./NJG1) and crashed 0037 2Mar43 at Oost- Stokkum (Overijssel), 6 km SW of Goor, Holland.

Of those killed, five are buried in Markelo General Cemetery, while Sgt Ledger is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. F/S Sankey’s DFM was promulgated 13Mar43.
F/S Watts was a very senior NCO, his Service Number indicates he had joined the Royal Naval Air Service in 1916, transferring to the Royal Air Force on its inception as a separate arm of the Armed Forces 1Apr1918.

  • S/L F.C.Elliott DFC KIA
  • F/S S.L.C.Watts KIA
  • F/S G.C.H.Chandler PoW Sgt R.V.Ledger MIA
  • F/S G.S.Sloman RAAF KIA Sgt D.Kelly KIA
  • F/S T.M.Sankey DFM KIA
  • F/S G.C.H.Chandler was interned in Camps L3/L6/357. PoW No.892.