571059 Sgt George Green 103 Sqdn

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by Alisonmallen, Apr 21, 2021.

  1. Alisonmallen

    Alisonmallen Well-Known Member

    After some deduction for our family tree I have confirmed the above man was briefly married to my great aunt. Family only knew that he had been shot down. I notice three others died with him and are buried in Heverlee Cemetery Belgium. My information is only that on the 5 October 1942 they were shot down over Germany but perhaps their aircraft was shot at finally crashing in Belgium. George had married my g-aunt in July 1942 and I presume they met at work as she was 8935874 Leading Aircraftswoman I Moss. She was my grandfather’s sister and something of a mystery as she remarried and moved away.
    can anyone tell me about the plane lost, the crew, the target and so on please as I would very much like to know as much as possible.
    Thank you in anticipation
     
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  2. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

    Halifax II W1216 of 103 Squadron

    Took off 1900 5 Oct 1942 from Elsham Wolds. Homebound shot down by a night-fighter and crashed 0200 at Rosmeer (Limburg) 11 km NE of Tongeren Belgium. Three killed, three pow, one man evaded capture.
    details.php
     
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  3. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

  4. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

    Original burial was at Brusthem (St Trond) Cemetery. He was reburied at Heverlee January 1947.
    green,-george
     
  5. Alisonmallen

    Alisonmallen Well-Known Member

    Thank you so much for this. I have just found a fair bit of info on a couple of websites and very sadly found George jumped out of the plane which was too low, parachute didn’t open fully and he hit a house poor lad. I think there is the chance that my aunt just moved on and like a lot of families at the time nothing much more was said. I don’t know why she has not put her name to the cwgc memorial.
     
  6. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

    My understanding is that next of kin were sent letters after the war by CWGC to verify/amend/add too any information to be placed with his entry. Maybe this form never caught up to her address then.
     
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  7. Alisonmallen

    Alisonmallen Well-Known Member

    She was also in the raf so maybe didn’t get it but the home address was a tiny cottage in Wales but my great gran may not have passed it on in time possibly. On the other hand perhaps she just closed that chapter and moved on and didn’t talk of it because no one else in the family did hence my surprise when I found out. Many thanks for your input.
     
  8. Markyboy

    Markyboy Member

    The evader Gordon Mellor only died a couple of years ago, he wrote a book called ETA. He was very active with the Bomber Command memorial project and featured in that book as well.
     
  9. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    From what I've read, the Imperial War Graves Commission (name didn't change until 1960) began the placing of permanent markers in 1952. Imagine how many family members could have passed away between 1945 and 1952? I've spoken to families who said "Okay, that would account for why we never saw anything from them. We moved to Teesside in 1949"

    But, I have also spoken to families, one in particular, who have lived in Northern Ireland for a few centuries and they never received anything...except, as the brother told me, "the RAF sent his things back, arriving on Christmas Day 1945. Couldn't they have waited?"

    Today, the man's entry on CWGC is blank. This rather large family is still where they always have been.

    Regards,

    Dave
     
  10. Alisonmallen

    Alisonmallen Well-Known Member

    I guess we will never know but I know she remarried and had children. It seems she married another raf man in 1943. They were together until both passed in the 1990s. I dnt know if she was contacted because she was away from home and I suspect my great gran kept all irenes mail till she came home. As George was reburied there is the possibility she had moved on, being married didn’t feel it appropriate to record she had been his wife briefly. His father was dead and I am researching to locate his mother/family.
     
  11. AlanW

    AlanW Senior Member

    Alison, previous to the operation to Aachen on 5th Oct, the crew flew on 6 other operations.
    2nd Oct, Krefeld.
    14th Sept, Bremen.
    10th Sept, Dusseldorf.
    28th Aug, Nuremburg.
    27th Aug, Kassel.
    16th Aug, Dusseldorf.
     
  12. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

  13. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

    have found his death reported in three local Aberdeen papers

    Roll of Honour
    GREEN. Previously reported missing over Germany in October. 1942. now believed killed Flight-E& gineer George Green. Bomber Command. aged 22 years. bAuved only son of the late Harry Green and of Mrs Green. 7 Westfield ...
    Published: Monday 05 April 1943
    Newspaper: Aberdeen Evening Express

    and this looks like a larger article with photograph

    900 Tons of bombs rain down on Essen

    .. and of Mrs Green, 7 Westfield Gardens, Inverurie. He joined the RA.F. when he was seventeen, and would have been twenty-two in May next. He was educated at Inverurie Academy and at Robert Gordon's College. ...Published: Monday 05 April 1943
    Newspaper: Aberdeen Press and Journal

    All three located on this search
    Results for 'green westfield gardens inverurie' | Between 1st Jan 1900 and 31st Dec 1949 | British Newspaper Archive
     
  14. Alisonmallen

    Alisonmallen Well-Known Member

    Thank you so much for this. Today I found his parents and sister were buried in Scotland and he is mentioned on the gravestone. My next search is to see if there is any other family who might be able to identify him on that photo of the crew. Some of my family when they lost loved ones tore up photos I guess in hurt anger upset bitterness and of course took out history doing so. On the marriage certificate it appears my grandfather was present and someone called P Borrossi who might have been aircrew.

    My father is Scottish snd we have family living there so there is a chance some over Aberdeen way may be able to assist. I knew Robert Gordon college well though I think it has probably amalgamated with the uni.
     
  15. Alisonmallen

    Alisonmallen Well-Known Member

    Note that they have his original burial on the gravestone EF933342-BC87-4F5D-9565-18E27B342E9E.png
     
  16. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

    Hi Alison

    I hope the photo of George which is with two of the newspaper articles helps with the crew photo.

    This maybe a red herring, but there is a french Spitfire pilot called P/O Paul-Marie Borossi/Borrossi who took part in Operation Jubilee (the Dieppe Raid) on 19/8/1942 while with 66 Squadron, and went missing 29/2/1944 while a Lt with 340 Free French Squadron & flying from RAF Perranporth.
    Memorials: Perranporth Memorial Hall
    RAFCommands Archive :: Operation Jubilee RAF aircrew list

    There is a full bio here but it is in French, maybe some training units match for both he & George.
    BORROSSI Paul


    Travers
     
  17. Alisonmallen

    Alisonmallen Well-Known Member

    It’s ok I read French thank you for this. I looked in ancestry and found a French Borrossi and on Facebook so may try and make contact with a possible relative. The others were American and one Italian. I figured that it was likely a serviceman who was the best man as George was not local. I wonder if it was this man. I had not found out if the American Borossi was airforce. It is all fascinating stuff!
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2021
  18. Alisonmallen

    Alisonmallen Well-Known Member

    I am not able to access the newspaper articles attached as it asks for membership when I open the article so cannot see a photo sorry
     
  19. travers1940

    travers1940 Well-Known Member

    Thats great that you can read the French bio. This Borrassi was a fighter pilot & George was bomber aircrew so they may never have crossed paths, but its an interesting thought if he was the witness.
     
  20. Alisonmallen

    Alisonmallen Well-Known Member

    It’s funny because when I looked online and found the name Borrossi a French man appeared on Facebook and I wondered then if his grandfather had been in the French airforce. I guess anything is possible. There were other nationalities around and paths could have crossed and they could have been friends or even a friend of Irene wherever she was based.
    The account talked of parents and army father and that the young man was excellent at maths snd had a passion for being a pilot. It discusses a boat journey with other pilots but I can translate it and post if you would like
     

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