- Contributed by听
- DAVIDHAWTHORNE
- People in story:听
- P/O CYRIL McKEEN (RNZAF)
- Background to story:听
- Royal Air Force
- Article ID:听
- A2902501
- Contributed on:听
- 08 August 2004
41918 P/O C J McKEEN RNZAF (9 SQN RAF) K.I.A 23/24 SEP 1942 21 YRS
My Grandmothers cousin was a bomber pilot in WW2. Cyril was appointed to the rank of Pilot Officer on 16th July 1942. On completion of operational training at Lossiemouth, Scotland, he was posted to 9 Sqn RAF Honningtion in Suffolk and with this performed sixteen operational sorties flying the 'Wellington' bomber, ranging from raids on Bremen, Duisberg, Hamburg, to mine-laying in St Nazaire, the Frisian Islands and also a leaflet raid to Rouen and Paris. In August 1942, he proceeded to RAF Waddington, Lincoln to fly Lancasters and completed two more raids on Essan and Munich.
On the night of 23/24th September 1942, Cyril and the crew of WS-M R5907 left Waddington for a raid on Weismar, Germany. The crew were:
1386921 SGT RIGGS A.V. (26 YRS)
1130777 SGT RAMSDEN H.T. (Unknown)
932936 SGT DONNELLY T. (33 YRS)
1114334 SGT BOTHWELL G. (21 YRS)
1177015 SGT BROOKS A.J.J. (21 YRS)
633919 SGT WATSON J.J. (23 YRS)
41918 P/O MCKEEN C.J (21 YRS) RNZAF
The aircraft along with five others did not return from the raid. Days later, information was recieved through the Red cross that Cyril and the other airmen had been K.I.A. and they had been buried in Wismar cemetery. After the war they were reburied in Berlin war cemetery which I visted last year.
'AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN'
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