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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945



Remembering those who died this day.

  • Buck Frederick Walter. PO. (d.15th Oct 1942)
  • Fidling Harry Bernard. (d.15th Oct 1942)
  • McCord Edward Alexander. Sgt. (d.15th Oct 1942)
  • Ward Derek Charles. Sgt. (d.15th Oct 1942)
  • Willis Geoffrey Charles . Sgt. (d.15th Oct 1942)

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.

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  • 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.
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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.



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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 15th of October 1942?


There are:17 items tagged 15th of October 1942 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 15th October 1942





Harry Bernard Fidling. Royal Navy, HMS Birmingham. (d.15th Oct 1942)

I am searching for any records of an Uncle I never knew, he was my Father's brother, Harry Bernard Fidling. We know he served on the Birmingham but have very little knowledge about his movements, life or death. In fact my Father, now aged 77 has always maintained that his eldest brother Harry was killed when H.M.S. Birmingham was sunk. I now discover that it wasn’t sunk and Uncle Harry may have transferred to another ship?

Update: Harry lost his life on 15th Oct 1942 on board H.M.S. President III and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

Stuart Fidling



PO. Frederick Walter Buck. Royal Canadian Air Force, 420 Squadron. (d.15th Oct 1942)

Frederick Walter Buck

My Uncle Fred Buck was shot down over Cologne, Germany on 15th of October 1942. My mother was 11-years-old when he died aged 22, but to her he seemed so old and grown-up. She now has his service medals and the silver cross that was awarded to her mother. He is commemorated on Panel 100 of Runnymede Memorial in Surrey, United Kingdom.

Frederick Buck was the son of Clarence Henry and Margaret Eileen Buck, of Copper Cliff, Ontario.

Terry Woodrow



Sgt. Geoffrey Charles Willis. Royal Air Force, 12 Sqdn.. (d.15th Oct 1942)

I am still researching about my grandfather, Geoffrey Charles Willis who served with 12 Squadron. On the 15th of October 1942 Wellington III BJ606 PH-S piloted by Sgt. Robert Bayley took off at 18.42 hrs. from RAF Wickenby to join a total of 289 aircraft (1 Wellington, 74 Halifaxes. 62 Lancasters and 44 Stirlings) to bomb Cologne. The aircraft was lost over Limburg, Holland. The crew were:

  • Pilot. Sgt. Robert Bayley 1210044 RAFVR Age 20.
  • Nav. Sgt. Alec Gordon Willans 1381545 RAFVR Age 30.
  • Nav. Sgt. Geoffrey Charles Willis 1023440 RAFVR Age 32.
  • W/Op Air.Gnr. F/Sgt Jack Johannesen AUS/412146 RAAF Age 22.
  • W/Op Air.Gnr.: F/Sgt. John Edward Freese Martin AUS/403060 RAAF age 31.
  • Air/Gnr: F/Sgt. Edmund St. Aubin Richardson R/82608 RCAF Age 31.

I would love to hear from anyone who served in No 12 Squadron, or anyone whose relatives served, to see if there are any logs in their relative's books that refer to my grandfather.

Samantha Anderson



Sgt. Derek Charles Ward. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve , 106 Squadron. (d.15th Oct 1942)

Derek Ward was my grandfather. I have only very recently been able to obtain any information about him at all. The very little I know is that his last flight was upon Lancaster W4771

Lancaster W4771 took off from Syerston at 19:25 hrs to attack targets in Cologne which was completed successfully. Shortly after leaving the target area, and while flying at 17,000ft in the Cologne - Monchengladbach area, the Lancaster was hit by flak. It is thought that two members of the crew were killed by the flak burst and the pilot was killed when the aircraft crashed.

Crew:

  • P/O T.B. Crowfoot. DFC. RAFVR. Pilot. 129665. Age 30. He was married to Gladys Dorothy Crowfoot and lived in Thetford, Norfolk. He is buried in the Rheinberg War Cemetery, grave 2.B.19.
  • Sgt E.J.C. High. RAFVR. Survived. Prisoner of War. He was taken to Stalag Luft Heydekrug and given the POW No.824. During captivity he was promoted to Warrant Officer.
  • F/O A.S. Meara. RAFVR. Survived. Prisoner of War. He was taken to Stalag Luft Sagan and given the POW No. 771. He was subsequently promoted to Flight Lieutenant
  • F/O A/L. Dickinson. RAFVR. Survived. Prisoner of War. Taken to Dalag Luft Sagan and given the POW No. 42818. Later promoted to Flight Lieutenant.
  • F/O P.D. Smale. RAFVR. Wireless Operator. 109045. Age 20. He came from Newton Abbott, Devon. He is buried in the Rheinberg War Cemetery, grave 2.B.20.
  • Sgt R.E. Christy. RAFVR. Survived. Prisoner of War. Taken to Stalag Luft Kopernikus and given the POW No. 809. He was later promoted to Warrant Officer.
  • Sgt D.C. Ward. RAFVR. Rear Gunner. 1386499. Age 31. Son of Walter and Elizabeth Mary Ward and married to Sylvia Ward of Upwell near Wisbech, Cambs. He is buried in the Rheinberg War Cemetery, grave 2.B.21.

The actual site where the Lancaster crashed is unknown.

Jon Ward



Sgt. Edward Alexander McCord. Royal New Zealand Air Force, . (d.15th Oct 1942)

Sergeant (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) Edward McCord was the Son of John and Frances Maria McCord of Aughintemple.

He was 26 when he died whilst taking part in a cross country flying exercise in a Wellington DV717, the plane crashed at Breke farm, Maypole Beck, Nottinghamshire at 20:55 on 15th October 1942, with the loss of the entire crew. He is buried in Grave B.16 in the Ardagh Cemetery, Ardagh, Co. Longford, Ireland.

s flynn










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Celebrate your own Family History

Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Secomd World War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.

Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.














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.

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