Last Post - Pilot Officer James Frederick Shirley

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Last Post P/O James Frederick Sshirley

Source: http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers

Image from Hanover War Cemetery, Source: Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Hanover War Cemetery

The image below of Pilot Officer James Frederick Shirley's Headstone at Hanover War Cemetery is provided courtesy of The War Graves Photographic Project. http://www.twgpp.org/information.php?id=2690107.

the wargraves photographic project logo

headstone image for P/O Shirley The war graves photographic project

Pilot Officer James Frederick Shirley was a member of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He trained as a Flight Engineer and joined Royal Air Force 102 Squadron, (Ceylon Squadron, Tentate Et Perficite). His crew was one of 3 Halifax crews from 102 Squadron that were shot down on a night raid over Hanover.

Details are provided in the Lost Bomber report below:

Lost Bomber Report

"Serial Range MZ787 - MZ831. 45 Halifax Mk.111, part of a batch of 360 HP61 Halifax Mk.B's delivered by English Electric Co. (Salmesbury & Preston) between 23Jun44 and 14Jul44. Halifax MZ796 was one of three RAF No.102 Squadron Halifaxes lost on this operation. See: LL597; NA602.

Airborne 1655 5Jan45 from Pocklington. Shot down by Flak, crashing 1945 about 1 km SE from Mariensee, 6 km NNE of Neustadt am R_benberge. Those killed are buried in Hanover War Cemetery.

F/O J.F.Bergman, RCAF, PoW;

P/O J.F. Shirley small poppyKIA. Please click here to read about P/O Shirley

F/O C.C. Smith DFC,small poppy KIA. Please click here to read about F/O Smith, DFC

F/O D.W. Dale, RCAF, PoW

P/O E.L. Stevens RCAF, small poppy KIA. Please click here to read about P/O Stevens

P/O C.N. Aune RCAF, small poppy KIA. Please click here to read about P/O Aune

P/O H.A. Dunphy RCAF,small poppy KIA. Please click here to read about P/O Dunphy

F/O J.F.Bergman POW and F/O D.W.Dale POW, both were interned in Camp 13D. No PoW Numbers. Source: www. lostbombers.co.uk. Click here to read the entire report.

A classmate from #3 Bombing and Gunnery School Class # 72, Colin Harvey McInnes joined the RCAF and was killed in the same raid over Hanover. Click here to read about Pilot/Officer McInnes.

Apologies, we do not have the daily ops report for RAF 102 Squadron.

Click on the link to see an image of the certificate issued by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in memory of Pilot Officer James Frederick Shirley