206879 Sgt. George Kesten Royal Air Force 101 Sqd. (d.4th Nov 1944) George served with the Squadron in 1944, I know that George and the rest of his crew took off from Ludford Magna at 17.38 on 4 November 1944, en route for Bochum. The aircraft was Lancaster 1 ME865 SR-K on ABC duties. Six of the crew of eight were Canadians. George was the specialist operator. All eight perished that night and are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery.
The crew comprised:
- F/O G. T. Weiss (R.C.A.F.) pilot
- Sgt. D. F. G. Day Flt. Engr.
- F/O W.F. Moran (R.C.A.F.) Nav.
- F/O J. H. Quirt (R.C.A.F.) Air Bomber
- F/O A. N. Gould (R.C.A.F.) W/Op AG
- Sgt. G. Kesten Specialist Operator
- P/O W. J. Cpommins R.C.A.F. Air Gnr.
- P/O J. L. Gallant (R.C.A.F.) Air Gnr
I know that there was (and still is) a lot of secrecy about what was going on at Ludford Magna at the time, and those with obvious Jewish names were encouraged to change their names accordingly, but whether that would have anything to do with George’s name not being on the 101 list I don’t know. George was a Polish Jew born in Berlin.
I joined up with George in 1943. The Gestapo forced him and his family out of their home in Berlin at a moment’s notice. His sister got to Switzerland and George managed to get to London. His parents perished in Poland in the Holocaust.
George and I were together for 13 months, but he responded to a call for volunteers for special duties who could speak fluent German. I went on to Wellingtons and George went on to Lancasters at Ludford Magna. Six weeks after I last saw him, he was dead. I still miss him. I am 84 and I he were alive today he would be 87.
Additional Information: | George Kesten is the only person amongst the 57,861 listed on the International Bomber Command Centre memorial who is defined as 'German' nationality. He is listed on panel number 59. Kenneth Moore
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