RAF Station Leconfield, England. c. 1943. The crew of Wellington LN289 standing under the nose of ...

Place Europe: United Kingdom, England, Yorkshire, Leconfield
Accession Number P03179.001
Collection type Photograph
Object type Black & white, Landscape
Physical description Black & white, Landscape
Maker Unknown
Place made United Kingdom: England, Yorkshire, Leconfield
Date made c 1943
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Copyright

Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain

Public Domain Mark This item is in the Public Domain

Description

RAF Station Leconfield, England. c. 1943. The crew of Wellington LN289 standing under the nose of their aircraft which has the nose art painting of a kangaroo smacking Adolf Hitler up a flight of stairs with his tail and the words "git up them stairs". The five bombs painted under the caricature indicated the aircraft has flown five operational missions. The crew, flying in a Halifax aircraft, were shot down on a bombing raid over Germany on 20 January 1944 and were all buried in the Becklingen War Cemetery, 13 miles south east of Soltau. The crew are from left to right: unidentified French Canadian (RCAF) bombardier; possibly Pilot Officer M. R. Sparrow RAF, tail gunner; unidentified RAF Sergeant, navigator; 412473 Flight Lieutenant Wilfred Guy Baldwin RAAF, pilot; 1213210 Flight Sergeant John Thomas Gilchrist RAF, wireless operator.