CREW MEMBER PROFILE |
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Surname: |
CHAPMAN |
First Name/s: |
Cyril |
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Service No/s: |
1425936 |
Service: |
RAFVR |
Branch: |
Air Bomber |
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Awards: |
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SERVICE RECORDS |
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Date |
Event |
Aircraft Flown |
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17 Apr 1941 |
Enlisted at No. 2 Recruit Centre, Cardington, Bedfordshire, as Aircraftman Second Class (AC2), and mustering as Air Crew Hand (Pilot / Wireless Operator/Air Gunner. |
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18 Apr 1941 |
Transferred to the Reserve, pending call-up. |
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18 Aug 1941 |
Called up at No.1 Air Crew Reception Centre (ACRC), Lord’s Cricket Ground, St. John’s Wood, London. |
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06 Sep 1941 |
No. 3 Initial Training Wing (ITW), St James’ Hotel, Torquay, Devon. |
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31 Oct 1941 |
Promoted to Leading Aircraftman (LAC), remustering as under training Pilot. |
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01 Nov 1941 |
No. 51 Group Pool (attached to an Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) for pilot assessment. |
Tiger Moth |
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22 Dec 1941 |
(ATTS) acronym not known. |
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24 Dec 1941 |
Embarked UK for Canada (port & vessel n/k). |
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01 Jan 1942 |
Disembarked, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. |
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01 Jan 1942 |
No. 31 (RAF) Personnel Depot (PD), Moncton, Nova Scotia. |
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24 Jan 1942 |
No. 1 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS), Malton, Ontario. |
Tiger Moth |
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12 Mar 1942 |
No. 31 (RAF) Personnel Depot (PD), Moncton, Nova Scotia. |
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12 Mar 1942 |
Attached to No. 1 Composite Training School (KTS), Trenton, Ontario |
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25 Mar 1942 |
No. 31 (RAF) Personnel Depot (PD), Moncton, Nova Scotia. |
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26 Mar 1942 |
Remustered as under training Observer. |
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30 Mar 1942 |
No. 2 Air Observer School (AOS), Edmonton, Alberta. |
Anson |
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03 Aug 1942 |
Remustered as under training Air Bomber. |
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06 Aug 1942 |
Attached to No. 1 Composite Training School (KTS), Trenton, Ontario. |
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12 Sep 1942 |
No. 7 Bombing & Gunnery School (B&GS), Paulson, Manitoba |
Anson/Battle/Bolingbroke tbc |
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21 Nov 1942 |
No. 7 Air Observer School (AOS), Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. |
Anson |
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30 Dec 1942 |
Awarded Air Bomber’s (AB) brevet, promoted to Sergeant, and remustered as Air Bomber. |
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03 Jan 1943 |
No. 1 (RAF) Personnel Depot (PD), Moncton, Nova Scotia. |
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27 Jan 1943 |
Embarked Halifax, Nova Scotia, for the UK (vessel n/k). |
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04 Feb 1943 |
Disembarked UK (port n/k). |
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05 Feb 1943 |
No. 7 Personnel Reception Centre (PRC), Spa Hotel, Harrogate, Yorks (using the Spa, Majestic, Queen, Adelphi, and Cecil Hotels for accommodation). |
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02 Mar 1943 |
No. 27 Operational Training Unit (OTU), 36 Course, Lichfield, Staffordshire. Likely changed to later course. TBC |
Wellington |
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18 Sep 1943 |
No. 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit (1656 HCU), Lindholme, Yorkshire (Lancaster); here the crew assembled (after 18 Sep 43 when the other crew members arrived), and probably now comprised: |
Lancaster |
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30 Sep 1943 |
Promoted to Flight Sergeant |
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25 Nov 1943 |
Joined 576 Sqn at Elsham Wolds, Linconshire |
Auto loaded with upgrade to v1.0.04 |
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05 Dec 1943 |
No. 576 Squadron, ‘A’ Flight, Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire |
Lancaster |
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16 Dec 1943 |
Berlin; lost in DV342 UL-G2, aged 33 |
Lancaster |
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576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS |
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Date |
Aircraft |
Code |
Flight Details |
T/O |
Land |
Flt Time |
Crew |
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16 Dec 1943 |
DV342 |
UL-G2 |
BERLIN |
1630 |
nk |
nk |
P1 Fg Off R.S. McAra |
NOTES: |
Failed to return. All crew killed. Shot down either by Hptm. Walter Borgers of Stab III./NJG5 (Aircrew Remembered), or by Fwbl. Herbert Herre of 3./JG 302 in a Bf109G (AviationSafety.net & Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943) (tbc) at 2008 hrs at 10,000 ft. Seen to burst into flames and explode over Lichtenberg, 10 km ENE Berlin. Pieces of the aircraft fell over a wide area; one of the engines fell in Rittergutstraße, where two of the crew (Chapman & Russell) were found; another engine fell in Verbindungsweg. A local policeman remembered that they were dressed in blue and each wore a white woollen sweater and escape boots. Both men wore parachute harnesses but there was no sign of the parachutes. The two bodies were taken to a central mortuary in Berlin and later buried in Doberlitz-Elsgrund German Military Cemetery, later interred at the Berlin 1939-45 War Cemetery. No trace of the other crewmen was found. |
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PERSONAL INFORMATION |
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Personal Records Restricted - not available to the public |
PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS |
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Personal Documents Restricted - not available to the public |
