Wevelgem Communal Cemetery
Roll of Honour
A - L
J/90920 Pilot Officer
Kenneth Leverne Cannings
432 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
9th May 1944, aged 20.
Grave E. 463.
Son of Albert George and Harriett Cannings, of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada.
His headstone bears the inscription "I See You Every Day, Ken. Just As You Left Home. You Did Your Best; Now Rest. Dad"
Kenneth Leverne Cannings
432 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
9th May 1944, aged 20.
Grave E. 463.
Son of Albert George and Harriett Cannings, of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada.
His headstone bears the inscription "I See You Every Day, Ken. Just As You Left Home. You Did Your Best; Now Rest. Dad"
1815821 Sergeant
Ronald Claxton
51 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
2nd May 1944.
Grave E. 456.
Ronald Claxton
51 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
2nd May 1944.
Grave E. 456.
Group portrait of the crew of "K" for Kitty, a Vickers Wellington bomber of 458 Squadron RAAF after a raid.
Identified 4th from the left and buried in this cemetery is 407199 Flying Officer Robert McKerlie Croft, Royal Australian Air Force, died 11th May 1944, aged 27. Grave E. 469. Son of William Henry and Margaret Croft, of Evandale, South Australia. His headstone bears the inscription "His Duty Nobly Done"
Croft was lost on operations whilst flying with 463 Squadron RAAF. The accident report describes the events:
Lancaster LL882 took off from RAF Waddington at 2200 hours on the night of 10/11th May 1944 to bomb the marshalling yards at Lille, France. Bomb load 1 x 4000lb and 16 x 500lb bombs. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Fourteen aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and three of these including LL882 failed to return. Post war it was established that the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and dived into an old waterlogged clay pit at the Dumoulin brickworks some 2kms west of Langemark (West-Vlaanderen) and about 8kms north of Ieper (Ypres).
All the crew were killed and they are buried in the Wevelgem Communal Cemetery which is located about 22kms east of Ieper a town centre on the Meenseweg NB connecting Ieper to Menin, Wevelgem and Kortrijk, Belgium. The crew were: RAAF 402817 Sqn Ldr M Powell, DFC Captain (Pilot); RAF FO Jaques, R (Navigator); RAF Flt Sgt B Fraser, (Bomb Aimer); RAAF 406700 Flt Lt Read, W N (Wireless Operator Air Gunner); RAF Sgt H L Molyneux, (Flight Engineer); RAAF 407199 FO Croft, R McK (Air Gunner); RAAF 407821 FO Croston, D P (Air Gunner).
Croft was lost on operations whilst flying with 463 Squadron RAAF. The accident report describes the events:
Lancaster LL882 took off from RAF Waddington at 2200 hours on the night of 10/11th May 1944 to bomb the marshalling yards at Lille, France. Bomb load 1 x 4000lb and 16 x 500lb bombs. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Fourteen aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and three of these including LL882 failed to return. Post war it was established that the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and dived into an old waterlogged clay pit at the Dumoulin brickworks some 2kms west of Langemark (West-Vlaanderen) and about 8kms north of Ieper (Ypres).
All the crew were killed and they are buried in the Wevelgem Communal Cemetery which is located about 22kms east of Ieper a town centre on the Meenseweg NB connecting Ieper to Menin, Wevelgem and Kortrijk, Belgium. The crew were: RAAF 402817 Sqn Ldr M Powell, DFC Captain (Pilot); RAF FO Jaques, R (Navigator); RAF Flt Sgt B Fraser, (Bomb Aimer); RAAF 406700 Flt Lt Read, W N (Wireless Operator Air Gunner); RAF Sgt H L Molyneux, (Flight Engineer); RAAF 407199 FO Croft, R McK (Air Gunner); RAAF 407821 FO Croston, D P (Air Gunner).
414971 Flight Lieutenant
Spencer Francis Fauvel
75 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force
28th May 1944, aged 21.
Coll. Grave E. 473-474.
Son of Francis Enoch Fauvel, and of Violet Annie Fauvel, of Wellington City, New Zealand.
Spencer Francis Fauvel
75 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force
28th May 1944, aged 21.
Coll. Grave E. 473-474.
Son of Francis Enoch Fauvel, and of Violet Annie Fauvel, of Wellington City, New Zealand.
421272 Flight Sergeant
Kenneth Wilfred Gower
75 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force
28th May 1944, aged 28.
Coll. Grave E. 473-474.
Son of Algernon Carlyle Gower and Mary Bayly Gower, of Tututawa, Taranaki, New Zealand.
Kenneth Wilfred Gower
75 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force
28th May 1944, aged 28.
Coll. Grave E. 473-474.
Son of Algernon Carlyle Gower and Mary Bayly Gower, of Tututawa, Taranaki, New Zealand.
C/1623 Squadron Leader
Frank Edward Grant
403 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
4th September 1943, aged 28.
Grave E. 440.
Son of Wallace S. and Mabel A. Grant, of Brockville, Ontario, Canada. B.A.
His headstone bears the inscription "He Soared The Sky Near To God In The Service He Loved"
Frank Edward Grant
403 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
4th September 1943, aged 28.
Grave E. 440.
Son of Wallace S. and Mabel A. Grant, of Brockville, Ontario, Canada. B.A.
His headstone bears the inscription "He Soared The Sky Near To God In The Service He Loved"
J/16990 Flight Lieutenant
Andrew Boyd Ketterson
412 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
4th March 1944, aged 22.
Grave E. 451
Son of Maj. Andrew Robert Ketterson, D.S.O., and Fenella Marjoribanks Wilson Ketterson, of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada.
His headstone bears the inscription "High In The Sunlit Silence... Flew,... Put Out My Hand And Touched The Face Of God"
Andrew Boyd Ketterson
412 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
4th March 1944, aged 22.
Grave E. 451
Son of Maj. Andrew Robert Ketterson, D.S.O., and Fenella Marjoribanks Wilson Ketterson, of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada.
His headstone bears the inscription "High In The Sunlit Silence... Flew,... Put Out My Hand And Touched The Face Of God"
J/87266 Pilot Officer
Frank George Lebano
550 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
28th May 1944, aged 21.
Grave E. 499.
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Lebano, of Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.
Frank George Lebano
550 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
28th May 1944, aged 21.
Grave E. 499.
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Lebano, of Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.
J/88364 Pilot Officer
John Walter Raymond Lefebvre
425 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
9th May 1944, aged 24.
Grave E. 459.
Son of Joseph Avila Lefebvre and Evelyn Cregan Lefebvre, of Verdun, Province of Quebec, Canada.
His headstone bears the inscription "His Memory Is Our Greatest Treasure. Mom, Dad And Family"
John Walter Raymond Lefebvre
425 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
9th May 1944, aged 24.
Grave E. 459.
Son of Joseph Avila Lefebvre and Evelyn Cregan Lefebvre, of Verdun, Province of Quebec, Canada.
His headstone bears the inscription "His Memory Is Our Greatest Treasure. Mom, Dad And Family"
42990 Flying Officer
Francis Henry Clark Lukey
75 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force
28th May 1944, aged 23.
Coll. Grave E. 473-474.
Son of Frederick Clark Lukey and of Ruby May Lukey (nee Gaston), of Waikari, Canterbury, New Zealand.
Francis Henry Clark Lukey
75 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force
28th May 1944, aged 23.
Coll. Grave E. 473-474.
Son of Frederick Clark Lukey and of Ruby May Lukey (nee Gaston), of Waikari, Canterbury, New Zealand.
