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F/O Raymond Linklater RCAF and crew - 576 Sqn - RAF Elsham Wolds - 1944.
Failed to Return - 14/15th July 1944 - Avro Lancaster III - ND994 - Op Revigny
Flying Officer Linklater and his crew were transferred from to 576 Squadron at Elsham Wolds in June 1944
The crew consisted of:-
Flying Officer Raymond Edwin Linklater RCAF ( pictured above ) - Pilot; Born - 6th Nov 1920; Hometown - Burnham (Swift Current), Saskatchewan, Canada.
Flying Officer Donald McKenzie MacKintosh RCAF ( pictured above ) - Air Bomber; Born - 23rd July 1919; Hometown - Hamilton, Ontario,Canada; Married - 24th Dec 1942 to Linda RCAF WD.
Flight Sergeant Stanley John Kozlowski RCAF ( pictured above ) - Navigator; Born - 18th Jan 1917; Hometown - Fort William ( Thunder Bay ), Ontario, Canada.
Flight Sergeant George Robert Sims RCAF ( pictured above ) - Air Gunner - Born - 28th Nov 1910; Hometown - Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Sergeant William Walker Beattie RAFVR ( pictured above ) - Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Age - 20; Hometown - Hylton, Sunderland, Co Durham, England; Parents - William Storey Beattie and Elizabeth Beattie.
Sergeant John Wellington Pringle RAFVR - Flight Engineer - Age - 27; Hometown - Hightown, Lancashire, England; Husband of Barbara Pringle.
Flight Sergeant William John McCollum RCAF ( pictured above ) - Air Gunner - Born - 24th Sept 1922; Hometown - Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Bill McCollum’s file states that he was both intelligent and well educated being both quiet and a deliberate thinker with a sense of responsibility. He was considered officer material and passed to PNB ( Pilot, Navigator, Bomb Aimer ) standard. However he was very keen to get into aircrew as quickly as possible so volunteered as an air gunner.
Flight Sergeant McCollom arrived in Britain on the 18th December 1942. He trained at 12 AGS, 30 OTU, 1656 HCU and 1 LFS and was posted to 550 Squadron and flew 3 operations in May 1944 as rear gunner in the crew of Wing Commander K J Newman MBE DFC RAF. Their last operation together was on the 24/25th May 1944 to Aachen when the crew were involved in an inconclusive combat with a night fighter.
Flight Sergeant McCollum was then posted to 576 Squadron joining the crew of Flying Officer R Linklater.
This crew commenced operations on the 2nd July 1944 with a daylight operation to bomb a V1 launching site at Domleger. They flew 4 more operations and on the 14th July they were detailed to take part in a raid that night on the railway yards at Revigny in France. Flying Lancaster ND994 Flying Officer Linklater and his crew took off from Elsham Wolds at 2116.
Bad visibility in the target area made it very difficult for the Pathfinders to identify the target visually and in view of this the Master Bomber decided to abandon the raid just before the main force of bombers arrived.
The bombers flew on without dropping their bombs and at 0224 hours 3 short bursts of cannon fire from a night fighter were heard by Rene Demongeot, a young maquisard, hiding in the woods near Vitry-le-Crois. Roland Jeanovoine, standing outside his farmhouse also heard the cannon fire and saw a huge explosion overhead as the Lancaster of Flying Officer Linklater and crew was blown into 2 pieces. The tail section fell near a small road to the North of Essoyes and the main part of the Lancaster crashed in a corn field several hundred yards away followed by 2 large explosions.
Flight Sergeant McCollum was found dead in the tail section Lancaster. Surprisingly there was no signs of obvious external injury with the exception of a large bruise on his left cheek. The remains of the other 6 members of the crew were found in or in the vicinity of the main section of the wreckage.
The crew were buried at Loches-sur-Ource by the local French inhabitants. This was a most moving ceremony attended by all villagers and local dignitaries who clearly wished to express their sorrow and gratitude to this brave crew who had fallen in their parish fighting for the liberation of France and the rest of occupied Europe.
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F/O Raymond Edwin Linklater RCAF - Pilot - 23 – 576 Sqn - Burnham (Swift Current), Saskatchewan, Canada – Loches-Sur-Ource Communal Cemetery, France.
Sgt John Wellington Pringle RAFVR - Flight Engineer – 27 – 576 Sqn - Son of Russell and Alice Maud Pringle; husband of Barbara Pringle, of Hightown, Lancashire - Loches-Sur-Ource Communal Cemetery, France.
F/O Donald McKenzie MacKintosh RCAF - Air Bomber – 25 – 576 Sqn - Husband of Linda of Hamilton, Ontario,Canada - Loches-Sur-Ource Communal Cemetery, France.
F/S Stanley John Kozlowski RCAF – Navigator – 27 – 576 Sqn - Fort William ( Thunder Bay ), Ontario, Canada - Loches-Sur-Ource Communal Cemetery, France.
Sgt William Walker Beattie RAFVR - Wireless Operator / Air Gunner – 20 – 576 Sqn - Son of William Storey Beattie and Elizabeth Jane Beattie, of Hylton, Co. Durham - Loches-Sur-Ource Communal Cemetery, France.
F/S George Robert Sims RCAF – Air Gunner – 23 – 576 Sqn - Prince Edward Island, Canada - Loches-Sur-Ource Communal Cemetery, France.
F/S William John McCollum RCAF ( pictured above ) - Rear Gunner – 21 – 576 Sqn - Son of John and Elsie McCollum, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Loches-Sur-Ource Communal Cemetery, France.
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14 July 44 – Revigny – France – Railway Yards - Night. 12 aircraft detailed. 8/10ths cloud above base increasing to 10/10ths at south coast. From the French coast decreased to 4/10ths. Weather conditions were similar on return and low cloud necessitated diversions..
Marking by PFF. Illuminating flares dropped in target area. It is thought the illuminating aircraft was shot down and crews were instructed to return to base with their bomb loads.
Very little flak but fighters were active and several aircraft were shot down. F/S Greig had to feather both his outboard engines and had to turn back short of target and land away.
F/O Linklater and crew failed to return.
( 253 aircraft to attack railway yards at Revigny and Villeneuve. Attack aborted because the railway yards could not be identified )
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Lancaster ND994
This machine was a veteran of 26 operations being lost on the 27th. the first was the 11th May 1944 Hassalt with P/O A C Blackie and crew. P/O V Moss and crew flew it 13 times.
Below - Several photos showing the wreckage of ND994
Below - Temporary Grave marker for F/S Kozlowski
Item compiled by David Fell. Photos from the Linklater and McCullom families and Ben Howson and the Canadian Virtual War Memorial
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