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220886 Sgt. Michael Arthur Cook Royal Canadian Air Force 50 Squadron from:Welland,Ontario Canada (d.6th Nov 1944) Michael Cook joined the RCAF in Canada in Hamilton Ontario. He trained at Mount Pleasant, Prince Edward Island, Air gunner Unit 10 B & G . He completed his training in January 1944, as air gunner, and went overseas. He was posted to Upper Heyford, Burford and St. John England. He flew in Wellingtons,learning to fly in formation, cross country and in familiarization runs both night and day.
Later that year, he started flying Stirlings on bombing raids and in October, Lancaster bombers. He was a Sgt by this point with 50 Squadron at Skellingthorpe. Lancaster 111's were his machine now, and he was rear gunner exclusively on these flights. On Oct 19 they flew to the Neuremburg Marshalling yards in Germany on a night run of 8 hours. Two days later they flew to Flushing and then on Oct 29 to Bergen to bomb submarine pens, another 7 hour flight at night. He was now up to 150 hours of flying time. November saw him flying at night to Hamburg, Emms and Dortmund. 6th November is the last flight entered in his log book. He had flown 100.25 hr during the day and 90.35 at night.
His last flight with 7 crew men left in a Lancaster and failed to return after an operational attack on Gravenhurst Germany. It left base at 16.19 hours on 6th November after which no further news was received.
An extract from the German Tottenliste #264 forwarded by the International Red Cross states that 7 were killed on Nov 6 1944.
Crew members, who are all buried in the Heerde general cemetery, Holland, 9 miles from SW Zwolle. were: -
- Flt/Sgt Ralph Andrew Dowling (R/270087),Toronto, coll. grave 667
- P/O George Amos Dunkelman (J/95289),Midland,Ontario, coll. grave 667
- F/O Frederick Arthur Horning (J/36835), Toronto, coll. grave 667
- F/O Robert Edward Rennie (J25818), Prince Edward Island, coll. grave 667
- F/O George Thompson Gilbert Terris (J/36306), B.C. grave 666
- Sgt William Darby (1737140), coll. grave 667
- Flt/Sgt Michael Arthur Cook (R/263352), grave 665
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