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LAC. John Ellwood
Royal Air Force 102 Squadron
from:Warcop
(d.30th Apr 1940)
Leading Aircraftsman John Ellwood aged 21, lost his life when 6 Armstrong Whitleys from No 102 Squadron deployed from Kinloss airbase came in on a raid over Oslo Fornebu Aerodrome. Flak Regiment 611/1 put up heavy resistance and Armstrong Whitley piloted by F/O Kenneth Murphy never got to open the bomb bays due to the intense ground fire. Armstrong Whitley N-1421 was hit in the starboard engine and in the tail section. John Ellwood, as the rear gunner, was killed instantly by the flak fire. The control cables to the rear flaps were hit and the pilot lost control of the tail. The four surviving crew members bailed out before the plane crashed on a ridge near the village of Sylling in Norway (25 miles west of Oslo) All 4 were arrested by the German authorities and sent to POW camps in Europe.
John Ellwood was buried with the 9 airmen from Short Sunderland L2167 that crash landed on 9th April 1940, at Sylling Cemetery, where a memorial has been held on 17th of May every year since 1947.
