419 Squadron RCAF 1941 to 1945 Crew of Wellington Z1146

Crew of Wellington Z1146

Wellington Z1146 squadron ID VR-E took off at 1700 on part of Operation Fuller, Bomber Command was to bomb and mine the Brest seaport area. All this was in response to the German Operation Cerberus. Cerberus was an attempt to counter an expected British invasion of Norway. The German Navy's most mighty ships were to break out of the Brest area to prevent the invasion at the order of Adolph Hitler. The order given was to either send the ships out or have them scraped. Hitler was no longer a supporter of a surface navy.
The Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and the Prinz Eugen individually were dangerous, together they were a force to be reckoned with and the Royal Navy and Bomber Command put into place Operation Fuller. A large number of aircraft and ships that were set aside for this operation by both sides. Two hundred Luftwaffe fighters were to be made available to provide air cover for the ships.
Bomber Command only Group 5 aircraft on 4 hour standby all other squadrons were on stand down. A huge effort was put into place the arm and organize the attack, aircraft from Coastal Command, Fighter Command and Fleet Air Arm headed out to meet the enemy fleet. In the end the ships received more damage from the mines laid in the Frisian Island area then the 242 sorties flown by Bomber Command. They then managed to return to German ports before daybreak the next day. For 419 Squadron the cost of the operations was two crews, Z1146 and Z1091. P/O Gordon Armstrong's body was found in a dinghy off Callantsoog, possibly dieing from exposure. In mid July the body of F/S Poirier was also found. These two crewmen were originally buried in Huisduinen.
The squadron had completed 24 sorties all together since they started operations in January, for Laing this was his first operation for the squadron.

Crew of Wellington Z1146

Pilot Officer

Walter Frederick Bond

Navigator Age 23
Action February 12 1942
From Vancouver B.C.
Remembrance Runnymede Memorial

Flight Sergeant

Joseph William Poirier

Wireless Op. Age 24
Killed in Action February 12 1942
From New Carlisle Quebec
Burial Bergen-Op-Zoom

Pilot Officer

Gordon Kenneth Armstrong

Air Gunner Age 22
Killed in Action February 12 1942
From Toronto Ontario
Burial Bergen-Op-Zoom

Sergeant

Harry Rowsell

WAG. Age 32
Killed in Action February 12 1942
From Pushthrough Newfoundland
Remembrance Runnymede Memorial

Flight Sergeant

Godfrey Hyde Stewart Ross

2nd Pilot Age 22
Killed in Action February 12 1942
From Edmonton Albert
Remembrance Runnymede Memorial

Pilot Officer

Richard Arthur Laing

Pilot Age 22
Killed in Action February 12 1942
From Montreal Quebec
Remembrance Runnymede Memorial

Crew of Wellington Z1146

Pilot Officer

Walter Frederick Bond

Navigator Age 23Action February 12 1942 From Vancouver B.C. Remembrance Runnymede Memorial

Flight Sergeant

Joseph William Poirier

Wireless Op. Age 24Killed in Action February 12 1942 From New Carlisle Quebec Burial Bergen-Op-Zoom

Pilot Officer

Gordon Kenneth Armstrong

Air Gunner Age 22Killed in Action February 12 1942 From Toronto Ontario Burial Bergen-Op-Zoom

Sergeant

Harry Rowsell

WAG. Age 32Killed in Action February 12 1942 From Pushthrough Newfoundland Remembrance Runnymede Memorial

Flight Sergeant

Godfrey Hyde Stewart Ross

2nd Pilot Age 22Killed in Action February 12 1942 From Edmonton Albert Remembrance Runnymede Memorial

Pilot Officer

Richard Arthur Laing

Pilot Age 22Killed in Action February 12 1942 From Montreal Quebec Remembrance Runnymede Memorial

Navigator Age 23
Action February 12 1942
From Vancouver B.C.
Remembrance Runnymede Memorial

Wireless Op. Age 24
Killed in Action February 12 1942
From New Carlisle Quebec
Burial Bergen-Op-Zoom

Air Gunner Age 22
Killed in Action February 12 1942
From Toronto Ontario
Burial Bergen-Op-Zoom

WAG. Age 32
Killed in Action February 12 1942
From Pushthrough Newfoundland
Remembrance Runnymede Memorial

2nd Pilot Age 22
Killed in Action February 12 1942
From Edmonton Albert
Remembrance Runnymede Memorial

Pilot Age 22
Killed in Action February 12 1942
From Montreal Quebec
Remembrance Runnymede Memorial