Failed To Return
RAF 550 Squadron Lancaster
F/O P.G. Nye and Crew
F/O R.G.Nye and the crew of PD221 were killed on 3/4 February 1945 during a raid on the Prosper benzol Plant at Bottrop north of Essen in the Ruhr. PD221 was shot down by a night-figher and crashed near Westerbeek (Noord-Brabant), 9 km SW from the small Dutch town of Boxmeer. The crew were all buried in Oploo (Westerbeek) Roman Catholic Cemetery.
- F/O R G Nye (P)
- Sgt C Stuart (F/Eng)
- Sgt J Holding (Nav)
- Sgt J F Moyle (B/A
- W/O W J Howson W/Op
- F/Sgt W H Cook RCAF MU/AG
- F/Sgt L C Taerum RCAF R/AG
Other information about the flight and the target available here.
The entry on the 550 Squadron Roll of Honour is available here.
See also the following links:
- Westerbeek War Graves
- Westerbeek Lancaster Memorial
- Westerbeek online
- Westerbeek Memorial page (on this web-site)
F/Sgt W H Cook
F/Sgt William Henry Cook (A/G) was from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. F/Sgt Cook was the first man of the Moose Jaw Air Cadet Squadron to be killed on active service. (Source: Richard Dowson)
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Moose Jaw Times-Herald, Thursday, February 8, 1945
Thanks to Richard Dowson of Saskatchewan Canada for providing this |
F/Sgt L C Taerum RCAF
At 18 years of Lorne Clifford Taerum was amongst the youngest airmen killed on Bomber Command operations. He was the younger brother of F/O Torger Harlo Taerum DFC Guy Gibson's Navigator on Operation Chastise (the Dambusters Raid).
Sadly Harlo Taerum was also lost on operations in WWII. See the following links for information: