F/Lt Leslie Kilvington DFC RAAF and crew - 103 Squadron / 156 Squadron - 1943/44
Compiled by Graham Stacey
The Kilvington crew were posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds from 1656 HCU on 28 July 1943.
This crew consisted of:
F/O L. Kilvington RAAF - Pilot
Sgt C. Rogers RAFVR - Flight Engineer
F/O A. Muggeridge RNZAF - Air Bomber
F/O F.C.W. Healey RAAF - Navigator
Sgt B.H. Heasman RAFVR - Wireless Operator
Sgt S. Galley RAFVR - Air Gunner
F/O T. R. Thomson RAFVR - Air Gunner
Above in RAAF dark blue uniforms Kilvington extreme left and Healey extreme right
The crew flew unchanged for 12 Ops with 103 as follows:
Ops 103 Squadron
2 - 3 Aug 1943 Hamburg Lancaster III LM332
9 - 10 Aug 1943 Mannheim Lancaster III LM332
10 - 11 Aug 1943 Nuremberg Lancaster III ED913
12 - 13 Aug 1943 Milan Lancaster III ED913
15 - 16 Aug 1943 Milan Lancaster III ED913
17 - 18 Aug 1943 Peenemunde Lancaster III LM314
22 - 23 Aug 1943 Leverkusen Lancaster III LM314
23 - 24 Aug 1943 Berlin Lancaster III LM314
30 - 31 Aug 1943 Berlin Lancaster III ED713
3 - 4 Sep 1943 Berlin Lancaster III DV221
5 - 6 Sep 1943 Mannheim Lancaster III DV221 - Combat. Attacked by a twin engined night fighter. Gunners replied. No claim made
6 - 7 Sep 1943 Munich Lancaster III DV221
Kilvington’s crew were posted to 156 Squadron RAF Warboys on 13 September 1943
The crew flew 18 ops with 156 and were unchanged apart from 2 Ops *
22 Sep 1943 Hanover Lancaster III JA921
23 Sep 1943 Darmstadt Lancaster III JA912
27 Sep 1943 Brunswick Lancaster III JA912
29 Sep 1943 Bochum Lancaster III JA975
2 Oct 1943 Munich Lancaster III JA712
3 Oct 1943 Kassel Lancaster III JA912
7 Oct 1943 Stuttgart Lancaster III JA975 * Sgt Galley replaced by W/O W. J. Love
8 Oct 1943 Bremen Lancaster III JA975 * Sgt Galley replaced by Sgt S. Miller
3 Nov 1943 Cologne Lancaster III JB293
10 Nov 1943 Modane Lancaster III JA925
26 Nov 1943 Berlin Lancaster III JB483
3 Dec 1943 Leipzig Lancaster III JA921
16 Dec 1943 Berlin Lancaster III JB479
20 Dec 1943 Mannheim Lancaster III JA425
23 Dec 1943 Berlin Lancaster III JB479
14 Jan 1944 Brunswick Lancaster III JA912
20 Jan 1944 Berlin Lancaster III JA912
21 Jan 1944 Madeburg Lancaster III JA912 – Failed to Return
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Final Mission
Kilvington’s crew took off at 19:52 hours on 21 Jan 1944 from Warboys. They were once again flying a Lancaster III numbered JA912 and this was their 6th mission in this plane. The target was Magdeburg.
Somewhere near Magdeburg shortly before 23:00 hours, they were attacked by a JU88 night fighter, which caused damage and a fire in port engines and mainplain. Kilvington ordered the men to abandon the aircraft and this was acknowledged by all the crew. According to F/Lt Healey, Engineer F/Sgt Rogers and Bomb Aimer F/Lt Muggeridge were the first to bale out, followed by Healey himself. Skipper F/Lt Kilvington, WOP F/Sgt Heasman, Mid Upper Gunner F/Sgt Galley and Rear Gunner F/Lt Thomson were still in the aircraft when Healey baled out but must have left shortly after as they all successfully parachuted to the ground. The aircraft crashed approximately 30 miles north west of Magdeburg.
Pictured is a Ju 88 C-6 night fighter
The night fighter pilot Major Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein of the Stab/NJG 2, who was flying Ju 88 C-6 R4+XM from Deelen airfield in the Netherlands.
In return, rear gunner F/Lt. T.R. Thompson, who was wounded, managed to bring down the attacker, although later reports also attribute the Ju 88 ’s demise to a Mosquito DZ203 flown by F/Sgt Snape. No claim was made by any Mosquito’s in the area and the likelihood of Mosquito’s entering the bomber stream, where they might get attacked by “friendly fire”, seems to cast doubt on this.
Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was at the time the Jachtnacht’s top scoring pilot and JA912 was his 5th victim of the night and his 83rd claim in total. However, this was to be his final claim as he died soon after when his Ju88 crashed at Lubars (Source: T Boiten, Nachtjadg War Diaries)
He was still the 3rd highest night fighter by the end of the war.
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Of the captured Lancaster crew:
Kilvington, Healey & Thomson became POWs at Stalag Luft L3, Sagan, Lower Silesia
Heasman & Galley became POWs at Stalag 4B Muhlberg, Germany
Muggeridge was also captured but POW Camp is unknown.
Leslie Kilvington
From Sydney Daily Mirror, reporting on his being missing.
Frederick Charles William Healey 412064
With thanks to Graham Stacey for his research, presentation and submission
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Biographical Footnotes
Kilvington Crew Bio Details
Leslie Kilvington
Date of birth – 11 March 1923. Place of birth – Liverpool, England
Place of enlistment - Sydney - Next of Kin – Ernest Kilvington – Wallasey - Father. Mrs G
Arrundale - Parramata, NSW – Relationship “ Adoptive mother “
Enlisted – 26 August 1941
Embarked – Canada 24 April 1942
Further details as known shown above
Alfred Muggeridge NZ 421751
Date of birth - 1920. Place of birth - Hawera, Taranaki, NZ
Address before enlistment Patea, Hauraki Plains, New Zealand
Training - Royal Canadian Air Force, No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School, Fingal, Ontario
Course 1: Class 62. Graduation Date: 4/12/1942.
Royal Canadian Air Force, No. 10 Air Observer School, Chatham, New Brunswick
Embarkation details - WW2 Vessel was MS John Ericsson
Further details as known shown above
DFC gazetted 5 June 1945 with effect from 20 January 1944
Death - 3 December 1997 - Whakatane, Eastern Bay of Plenty
Frederick Charles William Healey 412064
Date of birth - 25 Feb 1909, Place of birth – Brentford, England. Occupation – Radio Engineer
Place of enlistment - Sydney - Next of Kin – Stella Healey – wife. Two children – Graeme William and Barbara Joan born in 1936 and 1937 respectively
Postings Australia – 1 ITS June 1941, 2 WAGS August 1941, 2 ITS February 1942, 1 AOS April 1942, 1 BAGS July 1942, 1 ANS September 1942, IED October 1942,
Embarkation Melbourne November 1942.
Disembarked UK December 1942
Postings UK – RAAF PRC December 1942, EFTS RAF Shellingford April 1943.
Further details as known shown above.
Liberated - 2nd British Army 2 May 1945
Repatriation – 11 PORC May 1945, 2 PD and 2 MRU October 1945, 2 PD October 1945
Types flown :- Anson, Rapide, Battle, DC3, Tiger Moth, Wellington, Halifax and Lancaster
Hours flown – Training – 236 hours 50 minutes. Operational – 248 hours 25 minutes.
DFC Citation :-
“Acting Flight Lieutenant Frederick Charles William Healey ( Aus 412064 ) No 156 Squadron
As navigator this officer has completed numerous operations against the enemy, in the course of which he has invariably displayed the utmost skill, courage and devotion to duty.”
Info from the Australian and New Zealand War Archives
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