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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945



Remembering those who died this day.

  • Buckley Robert Charles. Rifleman (d.23rd February 1945)
  • Gordon Will S. 2nd Lt (d.23rd February 1945)
  • Kelly Patrick. AC2. (d.23rd Mar 1945)
  • Kennedy James. Sgt. (d.23rd February 1945)
  • Swales Edwin Essery. A/Maj. (d.23rd Feb 1945)
  • Webster Francis William. Sgt. (d.23rd February 1945)
  • Webster Francis William. Sgt. (d.23rd Feb 1945)

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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  • 28th March 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 263784 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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Want to know more about the 23rd of February 1945?


There are:25 items tagged 23rd of February 1945 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 23rd February 1945





Charles Gordon Vicary. Royal Air Force, 101 Squadron.

I flew on Lancaster PA237, 23rd of Feb 1945 in the raid of Pforzheim and was shot down. When jumping out the landing looked to be a good one, but it turned out to be a ploughed field that had frozen! I was taken POW and was taken to Moosberg.

Mr B Latchem



Rifleman Robert Charles Buckley. Army, King's Royal Rifle Corps. (d.23rd February 1945)

During the second World War the Allied and German soldiers, who were killed in Goirle, Noord Brabant, the Netherlands and in the neighbourhood, were buried at the Roman Catholic cemetery from the parish St. Jan in Goirle.

After the war the remains of the German soldiers were reburied in Ysselsteijn (near Venray) and most of the allied soldiers were reburied in Bergen op Zoom (War Cemetery and Canadian War Cemetery) and in Leopoldsburg (Belgium, War Cemetery).

At this moment there are 27 Allied graves in Goirle. Every year we commemorate the victims of World War II, both soldiers and civilians. We know their names, but who were the persons behind the names? What were their lives before they died? Where did they come from? How did they die? Under what circumstances?

It is my intention to give the victims a face, to write and keep the story behind the gravestones because we always will remember the soldier who died for our liberty. We can forget names, but not faces. I will try to write down all their stories for the next generation so they will know who was commemorated.

Maybe someone can help me in this matter. Send me a letter or an e-mail with additional information, a photograph or a copy of any personal document, which I can use for The Memory Book or a website.

Rifleman Robert Charles Buckley of the King's Royal Rifle Corps died the 23rd February 1945, age 25.

Thank you in advance for your help

Gerrit Kobes



A/Maj. Edwin Essery Swales. VC, DFC. South African Air Force, 582 Squadron. (d.23rd Feb 1945)

Edwin Essery Swales was one of four children born in Inanda, Natal, South Africa to Harry Evelyn Swales, who was a farmer in the Heatonville district, and Olive Essery. Following the death of her husband in the influenza epidemic of 1918-19, Mrs Swales and her children moved to the Berea, Durban. Here, Edwin Swales attended Durban High School. As a young lad, Edwin had also been a member of the 4th Durban Scout Troop. After leaving school, and prior to the Second World War, Edwin Swales worked for Barclays Bank Dominion Colonial and Overseas in Durban. He had joined the Natal Mounted Rifles before the War, rising to the rank of Sergeant Major. With the N.M.R., in the early part of the War, he saw action in Kenya, Abyssinia and in North Africa. He then transferred to the South African Air Force on the 17th of January 1942. He received his wings at Kimberley on 26 June 1943. On 22 August 1943, he was seconded to the Royal Air Force.

Following successful period of training on heavy bombers, in June 1944 Swales was posted, to the RAF Pathfinder Force, 582 Squadron at Little Staughton. His first operational flight for 582 Squadron was on 12 July 1944. Newly promoted to Captain on 4 November 1944, he took part in a daring daylight bombing raid on 23 December, on the Gremberg railway yards, Cologne, Germany. The Squadron Leader for the raid on Cologne was his close friend, Robert Palmer, D.F.C., who normally flew Mosquitos with 109 Squadron, also based at Little Staughton. Swales was the number two Pathfinder, leading the main flight and following Palmer as he marked the target. Palmer, who had completed 110 bombing raids, was killed as his Lancaster was damaged by flak and crashed. Six of the 30 aircraft on this operation were lost. Palmer was later awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross - becoming the 2nd Pathfinder pilot to be so honoured. For his actions on the Cologne raid, Edwin Swales was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation reads:

"This Officer was pilot and Captain of an aircraft detailed to attack Cologne in December, 1944. When approaching the target, intense anti-aircraft fire was encountered. Despite this, a good bombing attack was executed. Soon afterwards the aircraft was attacked by five enemy aircraft. In the ensuing fights, Capt. Swales manoeuvred with great skill. As a result his gunners were able to bring effective fire to bear upon the attackers, one of which is believed to have been shot down. Throughout this spirited action Captain Swales displayed exceptional coolness and captaincy, setting a very fine example. This Officer has completed very many sorties during which he has attacked a variety of enemy targets."

In 1945 with 582 Squadron Swales was the Master Bomber and captain of Avro Lancaster, B MkIII (No. PB538 60M). On 23rd February 1945 Swales led the bombing raid on Pforzheim, Germany. It was his 43rd operational flight, and the force consisted of 367 Lancasters supported by 13 Mosquitos. The marking and bombing, from only 8,000 feet, were particularly accurate and damage of a most severe nature was inflicted on Pforzheim with 1,825 tons of bombs dropped in only 22 minutes. Ten Lancasters were lost that night and two more crashed in France

Swales' aircraft was attacked by an Me110 whose fire shattered one engine and holed the fuel tanks. They were attacked again by the same fighter which knocked out a second engine. Swales decided to make if not England then friendly territory. The weather closed in and he ordered the crew to bail out. He attempted to put down but his Lancaster stalled and crashed near Valenciennes, west of Prouvy, two miles, 3 km, SSE of Denain in northern France. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

His VC citation reads: "Captain Swales was Master Bomber of a force of aircraft which attacked Pforzheim on the night of February 23rd, 1945. As Master Bomber he had the task of locating the target area with precision and of giving aiming instructions to the main force of bombers in his wake. Soon after he reached the target area he was engaged by an enemy aircraft and one of his engines was put out of action. His rear guns failed. His crippled aircraft was an easy prey for further attacks. Unperturbed, he carried on with his allotted task; clearly and precisely he issued aiming instructions to the main force. Meanwhile the enemy fighter closed the range and fired again. A second engine of Captain Swales' aircraft was put out of action. Almost defenceless, he stayed over the target area issuing his aiming instructions until he was satisfied that the attack had achieved its purpose. It is now known that the attack was one of the most concentrated and successful of the war. Captain Swales did not, however, regard his mission as completed. His aircraft was damaged. Its speed had been so much reduced that it could only with difficulty be kept in the air. The blind-flying instruments were no longer working. Determined at all costs to prevent his aircraft and crew from falling into enemy hands, he set course for home. After an hour he flew into thin-layered cloud. He kept his course by skilful flying between the layers, but later heavy cloud and turbulent air conditions were met. The aircraft, by now over friendly territory, became more and more difficult to control; it was losing height steadily. Realising that the situation was desperate Captain Swales ordered his crew to bail out. Time was very short and it required all his exertions to keep the aircraft steady while each of his crew moved in turn to the escape hatch and parachuted to safety. Hardly had the last crew-member jumped when the aircraft plunged to earth. Captain Swales was found dead at the controls. Intrepid in the attack, courageous in the face of danger, he did his duty to the last, giving his life that his comrades might live."

S. Flynn



2nd Lt Will S Gordon. , . (d.23rd February 1945)

Held as a Prisoner in Fukuoka 3b.




Sgt. Francis William Webster. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 138th Squadron. (d.23rd February 1945)

Francis Webster was the son of Thomas and Mary Elizabeth Webster of Lathom, Lancashire.

He was 22 when he died and is buried in the Norre Havrvig Church Yard in Denmark.

S Flynn



Sgt. Francis William Webster. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 138 Squadron. (d.23rd Feb 1945)

Sergeant (Navigator) Francis Webster was the Son of Thomas and Mary Elizabeth Webster, of Lathom, Lancashire. He was aged 22 when he died and is buried in the Norre Havrvig Churchyard in Denmark.

s flynn



AC2. Patrick Kelly. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 161 Squadron. (d.23rd Mar 1945)

Aircraftman 2nd Class Kelly was 25 when he died and is buried in Dromahaire (Carrickatemple) Catholic Old Graveyard, Co. Leitrim, Ireland.

S Flynn



Sgt. James Kennedy. British Army, 2nd Battalion King's Own Scottish Borderers. (d.23rd February 1945)

James was the son of Francis Kennedy and Ellen Kelly, previously McInally. Born on the 7th of June 1912, Cleland, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

David Healy










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