614624 Sergeant James Joseph RYAN, 149 Sqdn, Royal Air Force: 14/05/1943

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by CL1, May 14, 2018.

  1. CL1

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

    Remembering Today

    Casualty
    Sergeant (Flight Engineer) RYAN, JAMES JOSEPH
    Service Number 614624
    Died 14/05/1943
    Aged 22
    149 Sqdn. Royal Air Force
    Son of Leonard and Mary Agnes Ryan, of Birch Vale, Derbyshire.

    Buried at RHEINBERG WAR CEMETERY
    Location: Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
    Number of casualties: 3183
    Cemetery/memorial reference: Coll. grave 2. G. 1-12.
     
  2. Pat Atkins

    Pat Atkins Well-Known Member

    There's a page at Aircrew Remembered relating the loss of this 149 Sqdn Stirling (BK726, captain P/O Forsyth, RCAF) and all its crew, average age 21; it was one of two 149 a/c shot down with no survivors that night.
     
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  3. harkness

    harkness Well-Known Member

    1939 REGISTER TRANSCRIPTION
    22 Spinnerbottom, New Mills U.D., Derbyshire
    NAME DOB OCCUPATION
    Leonard Ryan 25 Jul 1900 Calico Printers Filter
    Mary Agnes Ryan 13 May 1901 Unpaid Domestic Duties
    Sorry, this record is officially closed.
    Sorry, this record is officially closed.
     
  4. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    I wonder who the sixth airman in Para 2 of document b was?
     

    Attached Files:

  5. Pat Atkins

    Pat Atkins Well-Known Member

    Good question. There were three Canadians in the crew, and the report suggests that the man who temporarily survived the crash was not the pilot; if that is the case (though it's not conclusive, the pilot still in his position when his a/c crashed is an all-too-familiar scenario), then it would be either the navigator or the air bomber. I wonder if there are pictures anywhere which might help?

    J17672 P/O Harold Forsyth (pilot), aged 20
    R93881 F/Sgt Donald McDonald (navigator), aged 25
    R108356 W/O Yvon Guepin (A/Bmbr), aged 21

    NB I'm giving the ranks as per Aircrew Remembered; the crash documentation has them as P/O, Sgt and Sgt, respectively.
     

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