The Wartime Memories Project
The Second World War - Day by Day.

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8th May 1944 On this day:  44 Squadron Lancaster lost  Lancaster lost  On the Ranges  One complete set of Boozer equipment received  Attack Made  Straffing  Wading  On the Move  Orders  Recce  Enemy Active  Two Special Duties flights lost  Exercise  Shot down  Day Ranger  No flying    Aircraft Shot down over Bucharest  Exercise  Intensive shuttle service  In Action If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Remembering those who died this day. Armour James Alexander. F/O (d.8th May 1944) Brown Donald. F/O (d.8th May 1944) Brown Donald. F/O. (d.8th May 1944) Bryce Alexander Frederick. F/O (d.8th May 1944) Cable George. F/Sgt. (d.8th May 1944) Denholm David. L/Cpl. (d.8th May 1944) McGonagle Bernard Pierce. F/O (d.8th May 1944) Russell William Macfarlane. WingCdr. (d.8th May 1944) Simister Norman. F/O (d.8th May 1944) White Kenneth John. F/Sgt. (d.8th May 1944) Williams Raymond George. Sgt. (d.8th May 1944) The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. Announcements The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web. 22nd April 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263973 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible. Looking for help with Family History Research?   Please read our Family History FAQ's The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations. Want to know more about the 8th of May 1944? There are:21 items tagged 8th of May 1944 available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. Stories from 8th May 1944 Sgt. Raymond George Williams. Royal Air Force, 106th Squadron. (d.8th May 1944) Raymond is buried in Orleans Main Cemetery, France Sharon Parsons Add to this record. F/O Alexander Frederick Bryce. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 138 Sqdn.. (d.8th May 1944) I am trying to find out more about the life of my uncle, Flying Officer 149705 Alexander Frederick Bryce, who was killed on 8 May 1944 during Operation Citronelle 1 in France. Update I don't know how much info you have but this may be of interest. From Chorley's Bomber Command Losses: Halifax v LL280 NF-O W/Cdr W McF Russell DFC & Bar F/S G Cable DFM F/O D Brown DFC F/O B P McGonagle DFC F/O J A Armour DFC DFM F/O A F Bryce F/O N Simister DFM T/o Tempsfordon Operation Citronelle 1 heading for France. Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed at St Denis d'Orques (Sarthe), 40 m WNW of Le Mans and astride what in 1944 was the main road to Laval. All rest in Le Mans West Cemetery. I have some information on your uncle's crew that I am more than happy to share with you. A summary follows below. My uncle J W McLeod (RAAF 418296; 576 Squadron) was killed on 7 May 1944 along with most of the rest of the Lancaster crew of pilot J M Shearer (RNZAF 415721) when they were shot down about 50 kms north of Le Mans. The post-war paperwork on the graves of the two crews spends some time sorting out the burial arrangements for the two crews that crashed not far apart in two consecutive nights. The question is not yet fully answered and an unknown airman is buried with your uncle's crew who may be from the crew of J M Shearer. In May 2004 I visited St Denis d'Orques and the Le Mans Cemetery and have photos. Edwin Bryce Add to this record. WingCdr. William Macfarlane Russell. DFC&Bar Royal Air Force, 138 Sqdn.. (d.8th May 1944) W/Co Russell was killed on 8th May 1944 duringOperation Citronelle 1 in France. Halifax v LL280 NF-O. The crew were: W/Cdr W McF Russell DFC & Bar F/S G Cable DFM F/O D Brown DFC F/O B P McGonagle DFC F/O J A Armour DFC DFM F/O A F Bryce F/O N Simister DFM T/o Tempsfordon Operation Citronelle 1 heading for France. Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed at St Denis d'Orques (Sarthe), 40m WNW of Le Mans and astride what in 1944 was the main road to Laval. All rest in Le Mans west cemetery. Add to this record. F/Sgt. George Cable. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 138 Sqdn.. (d.8th May 1944) F/Sgt Cable was killed on 8th May 1944 during Operation Citronelle 1 in France. Halifax v LL280 NF-O. The crew were: W/Cdr W McF Russell DFC & Bar F/S G Cable DFM F/O D Brown DFC F/O B P McGonagle DFC F/O J A Armour DFC DFM F/O A F Bryce F/O N Simister DFM T/o Tempsfordon Operation Citronelle 1 heading for France. Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed at St Denis d'Orques (Sarthe), 40m WNW of Le Mans and astride what in 1944 was the main road to Laval. All rest in Le Mans west cemetery. Add to this record. F/O Donald Brown. DFC Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 138 Sqdn.. (d.8th May 1944) F/O Brown was killed on 8th May 1944 during Operation Citronelle 1 in France. Halifax v LL280 NF-O. The crew were: W/Cdr W McF Russell DFC & Bar F/S G Cable DFM F/O D Brown DFC F/O B P McGonagle DFC F/O J A Armour DFC DFM F/O A F Bryce F/O N Simister DFM T/o Tempsfordon Operation Citronelle 1 heading for France. Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed at St Denis d'Orques (Sarthe), 40m WNW of Le Mans and astride what in 1944 was the main road to Laval. All rest in Le Mans west cemetery. Add to this record. F/O Bernard Pierce McGonagle. DFC Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 138 Sqdn.. (d.8th May 1944) F/O McGonagle was killed on 8th May 1944 during Operation Citronelle 1 in France. Halifax v LL280 NF-O. The crew were: W/Cdr W McF Russell DFC & Bar F/S G Cable DFM F/O D Brown DFC F/O B P McGonagle DFC F/O J A Armour DFC DFM F/O A F Bryce F/O N Simister DFM T/o Tempsfordon Operation Citronelle 1 heading for France. Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed at St Denis d'Orques (Sarthe), 40m WNW of Le Mans and astride what in 1944 was the main road to Laval. All rest in Le Mans west cemetery. Add to this record. F/O James Alexander Armour. DFC DFM Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 1. (d.8th May 1944) F/O Armour was killed on 8th May 1944 during Operation Citronelle 1 in France. Halifax v LL280 NF-O. The crew were: W/Cdr W McF Russell DFC & Bar F/S G Cable DFM F/O D Brown DFC F/O B P McGonagle DFC F/O J A Armour DFC DFM F/O A F Bryce F/O N Simister DFM T/o Tempsfordon Operation Citronelle 1 heading for France. Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed at St Denis d'Orques (Sarthe), 40m WNW of Le Mans and astride what in 1944 was the main road to Laval. All rest in Le Mans west cemetery. Add to this record. F/O Norman Simister. DFM Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 138 Sqdn.. (d.8th May 1944) F/O Simister was killed on 8th May 1944 during Operation Citronelle 1 in France. Halifax v LL280 NF-O. The crew were: W/Cdr W McF Russell DFC & Bar F/S G Cable DFM F/O D Brown DFC F/O B P McGonagle DFC F/O J A Armour DFC DFM F/O A F Bryce F/O N Simister DFM T/o Tempsfordon Operation Citronelle 1 heading for France. Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed at St Denis d'Orques (Sarthe), 40m WNW of Le Mans and astride what in 1944 was the main road to Laval. All rest in Le Mans west cemetery. Add to this record. F/O. Donald Brown. DFC. Royal Air Force, 138 Squadron. (d.8th May 1944) Donald Brown is my uncle of whom I am very proud and named after. He served with 57 Squadron for a while before transferring to Special Duties with 138 Squadron, and was with that squadron when he was killed. I read a letter from him to his wife just after the war and one sentence has always stuck in my mind it read "I gladly lay down my life for the next generation." His daughter was born 4 days after his death. For your interest there is a special photo gallery for him on the Redfearn Family Website The notification of his death came to our family from Wing Commander R.D. Speare known as Dickie. Donald Redfearn Add to this record. F/Sgt. Kenneth John White. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 98 Squadron. (d.8th May 1944) Kenneth Wright served as a wireless operator/air gunner. He was 22 when he died, and he is buried in the Abbeville Communal Extension Cemetery. Add to this record.

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The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items. The website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions. If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running. Hosted by: The Wartime Memories Project Website is archived for preservation by the British Library Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV - All Rights Reserved We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.