299 Sqn 6-8-44. Plougoumelen Communal Cemetery, Morbihan France

These are photographs for all the CWGC headstones contained within this Communal Cemetery. I hope some other kind members will fill in the gaps about what happened to this brave (and truly Commonwealth) aircrew on 6th August 1944.




BRADDOCK, ROBERT JACK

Rank:
Warrant Officer
Trade:
Nav./Bomber
Service No:
416081
Date of Death:
06/08/1944
Age:
26
Regiment/Service:
Royal New Zealand Air Force

299 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
Grave Reference
Coll. grave.
Cemetery
PLOUGOUMELEN COMMUNAL CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of Alfred and Annie Maud Braddock, of Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand.



EUNSON, LEONARD ALLAN

Rank:
Flight Sergeant
Service No:
410536
Date of Death:
06/08/1944
Age:
24
Regiment/Service:
Royal Australian Air Force
Grave Reference
Coll. grave.
Cemetery
PLOUGOUMELEN COMMUNAL CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of Frederick Charles and Mabel Kate Eunson, of Preston, Victoria, Australia.



HARRISON, GORDON FLETCHER

Rank:
Warrant Officer Class I
Trade:
Air Gnr.
Service No:
R/112810
Date of Death:
06/08/1944
Regiment/Service:
Royal Canadian Air Force

299 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
Grave Reference
Coll. grave.
Cemetery
PLOUGOUMELEN COMMUNAL CEMETERY
Additional Information:



HULL, ALFRED ANTHONY

Rank:
Sergeant
Trade:
Flt. Engr.
Service No:
1588979
Date of Death:
06/08/1944
Regiment/Service:
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

299 Sqdn.
Grave Reference
Coll. grave.
Cemetery
PLOUGOUMELEN COMMUNAL CEMETERY
Additional Information:



IRVING, WALTER NELSON

Rank:
Pilot Officer
Trade:
W.Op./Air Gnr.
Service No:
J/87928
Date of Death:
06/08/1944
Regiment/Service:
Royal Canadian Air Force

299 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
Grave Reference
Coll. grave.
Cemetery
PLOUGOUMELEN COMMUNAL CEMETERY
Additional Information:




URU, HENARE WHAKATAU

Rank:
Pilot Officer
Trade:
Pilot
Service No:
39589
Date of Death:
06/08/1944
Age:
23
Regiment/Service:
Royal New Zealand Air Force

299 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
Grave Reference
Coll. grave.
Cemetery
PLOUGOUMELEN COMMUNAL CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of Henare Whakatau Uru and of Gladys Constance May Uru (nee Rogers), of Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand.

 

From Colin Cummings Though Without Anger (pages 349-350)

Stirling LJ 878 299 Squadron 4 miles east-south-east Auray

The aircraft was being flown on mission IAN 7 to Baden but failed to return. When in the area of Plougoumelen and whilst flying at about 1500 feet, it was shoy foen by enemy anti-aircraft fire.

Uru - Pilot
Braddock - Navigator


Regards

Andy

 

Some detail:

RAAF FATALITIES IN SECOND WORLD WAR AMONG
RAAF PERSONNEL SERVING ON ATTACHMENT
IN ROYAL AIR FORCE SQUADRONS AND SUPPORT UNITS

410536 Flight Sergeant EUNSON, Leonard Allan

Source:

AWM 237 (65) NAA : A705, 166/12/96 Commonwealth War Graves records
Aircraft Type: Stirling
Serial number: LJ 878
Radio call sign:
Unit: ATTD 299 SQN RAF

Summary:

Stirling LJ878 took off at 2300 hours on the night of 5/6th August 1944, detailed to fly an
operational sortie dropping containers over Western France. The aircraft failed to return
and all the crew were killed.

Crew:

RNZAF WO H W Ure, Captain (Pilot)
RAF Sgt A A Hill, (Flight Engineer)
RNZAF WO R J Braddock, (Navigator Bomb Aimer)
RAAF 410536 Flt Sgt L A Eunson, (Navigator Bomb Aimer)
RCAF PO Irving, W N (Wireless Air Gunner)
RCAF WO1 G F Harrison, (Air Gunner)

After crossing over the enemy coast at 5/6000 feet, the aircraft was detailed to drop sown
to map reading height of approx 2000 feet and drop its load at 500 feet. Two other
aircraft saw some incident. They were due over the drop zone 29 and 30 minutes
respectively before WO Ure, but they had to circle for some time because they found no
reflector lights. Both Pilots reported seeing each other circling at 0038 on 6th August
when Ure was due. Both Pilots saw an aircraft hit by flak and go down in flames.
All the crew are buried in the Plougoumelen Communal Cemetery, France.
Plougoumelen is a village and commune 12kms west of Vannes.

Cheers

Geoff

 

On a visit to this area about 20 years ago I came across six graves of Commonwealth aircrew in a Village graveyard in the Morbihan.
I and my friends were staying in a gite near Auray. The following day we mentioned what we had seen to the gite owner who lived in an adjacent house. She told us the plane had been shot down and hit a house which killed one of her relatives. She further said that the plane was dropping arms for the local resistance. Sadly for the airmen and the civilian killed the village was taken by the Americans very soon after the crash.

 

A truly commonwealth crew. R I P