Flight Sergeant Milton George Gordon 21 Squadron June 1943
R.120737 Flight Sergeant
M G Gordon
Navigator
Royal Canadian Air Force
6th June 1943 Age 21
He died so that others may live
Now he lives
In the precious memories
Of all
GORDON, MILTON GEORGE
Rank:………………………………………………………………Flight Sergeant
Trade:…………………………………………………………….Nav.
Service No:…………………………………………………….R/120737
Date of Death:……………………………………………….06/06/1943
Age:……………………………………………………………….21
Service:………………………………………………………….Royal Canadian Air Force, 21 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
Grave Reference……………………………………………Grave 13.
Cemetery
SWANTON MORLEY (ALL SAINTS) CHURCHYARD
Additional Information:
Son of Francis Mavor Gordon and Mary Ethel Gordon, of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2764463/GORDON,%20MIL...
21 Squadron
During the early part of the war, No. 21 Squadron, flying Blenheim IVs, played a prominent part in No. 2 Group's offensive against shipping in the English Channel and the North Sea, and "fringe" targets on the Continent. The squadron went to Malta in December 1941, and, flying from Luqa, attacked shipping in the Mediterranean and land targets in North Africa. It was disbanded on 14th March 1942, and re-formed the same day in England. Later that year it received new equipment in the form of the Lockheed Ventura, and on 6th December, operating from Methwold, was one of the squadrons which made the daring low-level attack on the Phillips radio and valve factory at Eindhoven.
No. 21 continued daylight operations with Venturas-albeit spasmodically - until early September 1943, and soon afterwards began to convert to the fighter-bomber version of the de Havilland Mosquito. During the remainder of the war it was mainly employed on night bombing, but also took part in several special daylight precision attacks, including such spectacular ones as those against the Gestapo Headquarters at Aarhus in Denmark on 31st October 1944, and the Gestapo Headquarters at Copenhagen on 21st March 1945. From February 1945, onwards the squadron was based on the Continent.
www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno21squadron.cfm
Flight Sergeant Leroy Joseph O’Connor died the same day and is buried in Norwich cemetery. The deaths of both Milton Gordon, Leroy O’Connor and John Rogers, (see below), were all recorded in the Norwich Outer District.
www.flickr.com/photos/43688219@N00/4061449736/
I could not find any reference to Milton, John Rogers of Leroy O’Connor in the Official Casualty lists.
From the Squadron ORB
Oulton 6.6.43
Weather raining. Exercise with the Home Guard was carried out. A Mitchell crashed owing to colliding on take off with a Ventura on the dispersal. Three of the crew were killed, the fourth Sgt Hewitt escaped uninjured. The following were killed F/O J Rogers, J12243 CAN/R 100538 Sgt O’Connor, L CAN/R 120737 Sgt Gordon M.
64629 to RAF as Mitchell III FV907. Wrecked when hit Ventura AE856 (direct purchase so no
USAAF or USN serial) on takeoff at Oulton, England Jun 6, 1943
cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/gzUsafSearch.pl?target=&a...
Forum post
Question
Would anyone happen to have a pic showing the placement of the nose-art on Ventura AE856 code Z-YH which was with 21 Squadron ?? The nose art is a rather baleful looking duck sitting in an upturned eggshell with the name Hell's a-Poppin.
Answer
The hatching duck was on the right hand side of the fuselage with the bottom horizontal bar of the aircraft letter Z overlapping the eggshell to just before the word Hell's. Codes read YH-Z on the right hand side. There are two photographs & art work of AE856 in RAF Bombers of World War Two Volume Two by Philip Moyes.
www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/36244-ventur...
There is a picture of AE856 in PV Ventura\Harpoon units of World War 2 by Alan C Carey on page 12. It was flown by Wing Commander R J P Pritchard of 21 Squadron on their first outing with the Ventura’s after conversion, the Phillips raid of November 1942, (the caption to the photo says December). There is footage on line of the raid, carried out in daylight.
The aircraft survived its brush with a Mitchell as it was later transferred to No 1407 Meteological Flight, based in Reykjavik and was written off on the 22nd April 1944 when it crashed shortly after take off.
books.google.co.uk/books?id=HRKSjn6IM4MC&pg=PA12&...
Flight Sergeant Milton George Gordon 21 Squadron June 1943
R.120737 Flight Sergeant
M G Gordon
Navigator
Royal Canadian Air Force
6th June 1943 Age 21
He died so that others may live
Now he lives
In the precious memories
Of all
GORDON, MILTON GEORGE
Rank:………………………………………………………………Flight Sergeant
Trade:…………………………………………………………….Nav.
Service No:…………………………………………………….R/120737
Date of Death:……………………………………………….06/06/1943
Age:……………………………………………………………….21
Service:………………………………………………………….Royal Canadian Air Force, 21 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
Grave Reference……………………………………………Grave 13.
Cemetery
SWANTON MORLEY (ALL SAINTS) CHURCHYARD
Additional Information:
Son of Francis Mavor Gordon and Mary Ethel Gordon, of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2764463/GORDON,%20MIL...
21 Squadron
During the early part of the war, No. 21 Squadron, flying Blenheim IVs, played a prominent part in No. 2 Group's offensive against shipping in the English Channel and the North Sea, and "fringe" targets on the Continent. The squadron went to Malta in December 1941, and, flying from Luqa, attacked shipping in the Mediterranean and land targets in North Africa. It was disbanded on 14th March 1942, and re-formed the same day in England. Later that year it received new equipment in the form of the Lockheed Ventura, and on 6th December, operating from Methwold, was one of the squadrons which made the daring low-level attack on the Phillips radio and valve factory at Eindhoven.
No. 21 continued daylight operations with Venturas-albeit spasmodically - until early September 1943, and soon afterwards began to convert to the fighter-bomber version of the de Havilland Mosquito. During the remainder of the war it was mainly employed on night bombing, but also took part in several special daylight precision attacks, including such spectacular ones as those against the Gestapo Headquarters at Aarhus in Denmark on 31st October 1944, and the Gestapo Headquarters at Copenhagen on 21st March 1945. From February 1945, onwards the squadron was based on the Continent.
www.raf.mod.uk/history/bombercommandno21squadron.cfm
Flight Sergeant Leroy Joseph O’Connor died the same day and is buried in Norwich cemetery. The deaths of both Milton Gordon, Leroy O’Connor and John Rogers, (see below), were all recorded in the Norwich Outer District.
www.flickr.com/photos/43688219@N00/4061449736/
I could not find any reference to Milton, John Rogers of Leroy O’Connor in the Official Casualty lists.
From the Squadron ORB
Oulton 6.6.43
Weather raining. Exercise with the Home Guard was carried out. A Mitchell crashed owing to colliding on take off with a Ventura on the dispersal. Three of the crew were killed, the fourth Sgt Hewitt escaped uninjured. The following were killed F/O J Rogers, J12243 CAN/R 100538 Sgt O’Connor, L CAN/R 120737 Sgt Gordon M.
64629 to RAF as Mitchell III FV907. Wrecked when hit Ventura AE856 (direct purchase so no
USAAF or USN serial) on takeoff at Oulton, England Jun 6, 1943
cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/gzUsafSearch.pl?target=&a...
Forum post
Question
Would anyone happen to have a pic showing the placement of the nose-art on Ventura AE856 code Z-YH which was with 21 Squadron ?? The nose art is a rather baleful looking duck sitting in an upturned eggshell with the name Hell's a-Poppin.
Answer
The hatching duck was on the right hand side of the fuselage with the bottom horizontal bar of the aircraft letter Z overlapping the eggshell to just before the word Hell's. Codes read YH-Z on the right hand side. There are two photographs & art work of AE856 in RAF Bombers of World War Two Volume Two by Philip Moyes.
www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/36244-ventur...
There is a picture of AE856 in PV Ventura\Harpoon units of World War 2 by Alan C Carey on page 12. It was flown by Wing Commander R J P Pritchard of 21 Squadron on their first outing with the Ventura’s after conversion, the Phillips raid of November 1942, (the caption to the photo says December). There is footage on line of the raid, carried out in daylight.
The aircraft survived its brush with a Mitchell as it was later transferred to No 1407 Meteological Flight, based in Reykjavik and was written off on the 22nd April 1944 when it crashed shortly after take off.
books.google.co.uk/books?id=HRKSjn6IM4MC&pg=PA12&...