236441 F/Sgt. J. C. Cooke Royal Canadian Air Force 103 Squadron (d.29th Nov 1944) On the night of 31st of Oct/1st of Nov 1944, 103 Squadron Lancaster I LL964 PM-H "La Belle Dame Sans Merci", was hit by flak. The crew was ordered to bail out. Pilot F/S Cooke and F/S McCoubray (who had deployed his parachute inside the aircraft) belly landed the aircraft at St-Gerard, Namur, without causing injury to these two men. Melvin Orr hurt his ankle upon reaching the ground.
The entire crew made it back to England within a month. Unfortunately the crew was aboard the Lancaster III PB465 PM-F "Mudpool Maggie II" the night of 29th of November 1944. The aircraft was involved in a midair collision with a 550 Squadron Lancaster. Damage was so severe that control was lost immediately.
Crewmembers who perished: F/S M O Orr RCAF, F/S J C Cooke RCAF, Sgt E W McGrath (Irish), F/S J A Goff RCAF, WO2 F I R B Hill RCAF, F/S J H C McCoubrey RCAF. F/O G T Mortimer survived and became a POW. The men who died are buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery
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