CREW MEMBER PROFILE

Surname:

WILLETT

First Name/s:

Kevin Joseph

Service No/s:

1575690

Service:

RAFVR

Branch:

Wireless Operator

Awards:

Return

SERVICE RECORDS

Date

Event

Aircraft Flown
23 Jun 1941

Enlisted at No. 27 Aviation Candidates Selection Board, Birmingham, Warwickshire, as Aircraftman Second Class (AC2), mustering as Air Crew Hand / Wireless Operator Air Gunner (ACH/WO.AG). Recommended for training as Wireless Operator / Air Gunner.

24 Jun 1941

Transferred to the Reserve pending call-up.

29 Jun 1941

Called up at No. 3 Recruit Centre (RC), Padgate, Warrington, Cheshire.

03 Jul 1942

No. 10 (Signals) Recruit Centre, Blackpool, Lancashire.

29 Oct 1942

No. 2 Signals School (SS), Yatesbury, Wiltshire.

04 Feb 1943

RAF Station Syerston, Nottinghamshire (unit not known).

23 Feb 1943

Remustered as Under Training Wireless Operator Air (WOp u/t Air) 2.

24 Mar 1943

No. 4 Radio School, Madley, Herefordshire.

Dominie
22 May 1943

No. 1 Air Gunnery School (AGS), Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, Wales (tbc) (Aircraft?).

23 May 1943

Promoted to Leading Aircraftman (LAC).

04 Jun 1943

Awarded Wireless Operator badge, promoted to Sergeant, and remustered as Wireless Operator / Air Gunner (WOp/AG).

08 Jun 1943

No. 10 (Observer) Advanced Flying Unit ((O) AFU), Dumfries, Dumfries-shire, Scotland.

Anson
06 Jul 1943

No. 30 Operational Training Unit (OTU), Hixon, Staffordshire (Wellington); joins unknown crew.

Wellington
12 Oct 1943

No. 11 Base, Lindholme, Yorkshire; administrative Base for 1 Group heavy bomber conversions.

12 Oct 1943

No. 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU), Lindholme, Yorkshire.

Halifax
08 Nov 1943

No. 1 Lancaster Finishing School, Hemswell, Lincolnshire.

Lancaster
09 Nov 1943

Remustered as Wireless Operator Air (WOp/Air) II.

21 Dec 1943

Joined No. 576 Squadron, 'B' Flight, at Elsham Wolds, Linconshire.
Ops (xx): C A B Johnson (1), F S Barnsdale crews
14 Jan 44 – Brunswick (Johnson)
15 Feb 44 – Berlin
19 Feb 44 – Leipzig
20 Feb 44 – Stuttgart
24 Feb 44 – Schweinfurt
25 Feb 44 – Augsburg
22 Mar 44 – Frankfurt
24 Mar 44 – Berlin
26 Mar 44 – Essen
30 Mar 44 – Nuremburg; attacked by Me-109: no damage sustained

Lancaster
11 Apr 1944

Aulnoye; lost in LL830 UL-R2
Shot down by Helmut Bergmann of NJG4 in his Bf-110 at 0230 (one of seven claimed that night in just 46 minutes). The aircraft came down in Haussy, 10 miles E of Cambrai
Buried at Cambrai (Route de Solesmes) Communal Cemetery, plot 1.A.13.

Lancaster

576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS

Date

Aircraft

Code

Flight Details

T/O

Land

Flt Time

Crew

14 Jan 1944

ME583

UL-F2

BRUNSWICK

1620

2030

4h10

P1   Flt Lt C.A.B. Johnson
P2   
FE   Sgt G.B. Valentine
AB   Fg Off H. Gerus RCAF
NAV  Fg Off W. Woodfine
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt W.R. Owen
RG   Sgt J.P. Duns RCAF

NOTES:

Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries. Engine trouble – returned early Bombed Texel Island as last resort; new aircraft

15 Feb 1944

ND402

UL-R2

BERLIN

1715

0030

7h15

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

15 Feb 1944

ND402

UL-R2

BERLIN

1715

0030

7h15

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

15 Feb 1944

ND402

UL-R2

BERLIN

1715

0030

7h15

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

15 Feb 1944

ND402

UL-R2

BERLIN

1715

0030

7h15

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

19 Feb 1944

LM439

UL-X2

LEIPZIG

2345

0730

7h45

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

20 Feb 1944

LM439

UL-X2

STUTTGART

2340

0740

8h00

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries.

24 Feb 1944

ND402

UL-R2

SCHWEINFURT

1820

0225

8h05

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt G.S. Armstrong
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

25 Feb 1944

ND402

UL-R2

AUGSBURG

1820

0225

8h05

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  WO2 A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt G.S. Armstrong
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Aircraft factories Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries

22 Mar 1944

LL830

UL-R2

FRANKFURT

1850

0050

6h00

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt E.H. Kenny
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  Plt Off A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 108x 30lb and 1,062x 4lb incendiaries

24 Mar 1944

LL830

UL-R2

BERLIN

1855

0320

8h25

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt A.W. Knapp
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  Plt Off A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 108x 30lb and 924x 4lb incendiaries

26 Mar 1944

LL830

UL-R2

ESSEN

1945

0115

5h30

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt A.W. Knapp
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  Plt Off A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 108x 30lb and 1,170x 4lb incendiaries

30 Mar 1944

LL830

UL-R2

NUREMBERG

2200

0615

8h15

P1   Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt L.R.S. Templeton
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  Plt Off A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’, 108x 30lb and 1,020x 4lb incendiaries Attacked by Bf-109; returned fire, but no damage was sustained to either aircraft

10 Apr 1944

LL830

UL-R2

AULNOYE

nk

FTR

uk

P1   Flt Lt F.S. Barnsdale
P2   
FE   Sgt J. Torode
AB   Sgt E.C. Edwards
NAV  Plt Off A.G. Campbell RCAF
WOp  Sgt K.J. Willett
MUG  Sgt C. Clamp
RG   Sgt G.M. Morris

NOTES:

Target: Marshalling yards Load: 12x 1,000lb and 4x 500lb bombs Likely take off time 2320, but this is not shown in the Squadron records. The aircraft was shot down by Hauptmann Helmut Bergmann of 6/ NJG-4 in his Bf-110 at 0230 to the north of Solesmes (the second of seven bombers he shot down that night in just 46 minutes). The aircraft came down in Haussy, 10 miles E of Cambrai; there were no survivors

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Details

Kevin Joseph Willett was born 17 January 1924 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, son of Abraham Willett (1885-1962) and Hannah Wilkins (Pegg) (1879-1945). He had two half-brothers: Francis Edwin Pegg (1902-1946), Walter Cecil Pegg (1905-1983).

 

In September 1939 he was living with his mother at 13 Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire; employed as office boy. He was a member of the Air Defence Cadet Corps (ADCC) which later became the Air Training Corps (ATC).

11 Apr 1944 – Died in air operations over enemy-occupied territory. 

 

References 

Ancestry Person 

Sergeant ( W. Op. ) Kevin Joseph Willett (unknown-1944) - Find a Grave Memorial 

Air Forces WW2 Casualty : Sergeant K J WILLETT (1575690), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve [RAFCommands] 

Frank S Barnsdale and crew 576 Sqn 

Recherche de France-Crashes 39-45 (LL830) 

Helmut Bergmann - Wikipedia (LL830) 

Perilous Moon: Occupied France, 1944ÑThe End Game - Stuart Nimmo - Google Books  (LL830) 

Sergeant Kevin Joseph Willett | War Casualty Details 2276302 | CWGC 

 

PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS

Details

There are no items in the list