HISTORICAL CONTEXT

He was a crew member of Stirling Mk.IV LJ440, 196 Squadron, Royal Air Force (RAF).

They took off at 23:34 on the night of 5 June 1944 from RAF Keevil, Wiltshire to drop 20 paratroopers of 6th Airborne, nine containers and one bicycle east of the River Orne as part of Operation Tonga (6th Airborne Division's parachute and glider assault in the early hours of D-Day).

Two of the engines were disabled due to German anti-aircraft and machine gun fire over the drop zone and the aircraft crash-landed on its return to base. Most of the crew survived but he was one of two crew members who baled out before this and was killed.