Flt.Sgt. Gordon Leslie Hill
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 50 Squadron
from:Wigan
(d.26th July 1943)
Gordon Hill, the eldest son of Sydney and Minnie Hill and husband of Alice was killed in action. The Lancaster ED753 took off from RAF Skellingthorpe at 2149 hours on the night of 25th/26th July 1943 detailed to bomb Essen, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base.
Crew: RAAF 405175 PO Dennis, E A Captain (Pilot), RAAF 408293 FO Every, E D P (2nd Pilot), RAF Sgt H Rogerson, (Flight Engineer), RAF PO Young, R F (Navigator) RAF Sgt R Toulson, (Air Bomber), RAF WO L T Beck, (Wireless Air Gunner), RAF Flt Sgt A G Tanner, (Mid Upper Gunner) and RAF Sgt G L Hill, (Rear Gunner).
It was later established that the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at 0055 hours on 26th July 1943 near Wijchen (Gelderland), 6kms WSW Nijmegan, Holland. Five of the crew were killed and Sgt Rogerson, PO Young and FO Every were POWs.
Those killed are buried in the Uden War Cemetery, Locality Noord-Brabant, Netherlands. Uden is a town on the main road between Eindhoven and Nijmegen.
The then Flt Lt Every later reported "In the first attack by fighters at 21,000 feet, the port motors were set on fire then most of the aircraft in the second attack. I was in the WOP position whilst waiting for the Nav to go when the aircraft went into a steep forward dive which threw me to the floor. I became unconscious and came to falling through the air. I pulled the chute and landed safe. No news re the others but since learnt that the Nav and self were only ones alive. The aircraft crashed near the German/Dutch border south east of Nijmegan. Received help from civilians and told to go to Rotterdam. I walked for 7 days and then captured by Dutch police in Herovarden, a small village on the Rhine."
