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1206386F/Sgt. James Molesworth
Royal Canadian Air Force 103 Squadron
(d.25th Oct 1942)
James Molesworth and his crew, aboard Handley Page Halifax bomber W1223 were lost over France while on a bombing raid to Milan, Italy. Jim was the rear gunner and the crew was apparently on only their 2nd combat mission with 103 Squadron, Royal Air Force. They took off from Elsham Wold at 18:44 on October 24, 1942 and were never heard from again. The aircraft crashed at Moulin-sous-Touvent (Oise), 18 km NE of Compiegne, France. The crew are all buried in Moulin-sous-Touvent Communal Cemetery and they are the only Commonwealth War Graves in this particular cemetery. The cause of their loss is unknown. Jim's older brother Frank also enlisted in the RCAF and survived the war.Crew:
- Pilot - Sgt Sidney Arthur Claridge, 1331580, RAF
- Flight Engineer - Sgt Bernard Dudley Swain, 547856, RAF
- Navigator - P/O Ernest Adam Wagstaff, 121733, RAF
- Bomb-Aimer - Sgt Stanley Victor Goodhew, 1265668, RAF
- Wireless-Operator/Air Gunner - Sgt Ronald Ward Taylor, 403844, RAAF
- Mid-Upper Gunner - Sgt Kevin William McAuliffe, 1314722, RAF
- Rear-Gunner - Sgt James Molesworth, R85993, RCAF
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