Sergeant Albert Cyril Orr (1145143) served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. He was the son of Stanley Orr and Annie Orr of Kilkeel, Co. Down.
Albert died on 13th October 1942 aged 21 years old. He was an Air Bomber on Vickers Wellington X3954 with R.A.F. 75 Squadron when it took off from RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, England. The operation was a night raid of 288 planes to Kiel, Germany.
Over the target, the enemy put plans into place to minimise damage to the city. They lit decoy fires to the west of Fiord to draw the Allied bombers away from the target area. A diarist noted that anti-aircraft fire started slowly perhaps in a bid to hide the target area. The same writer observed high levels of damage to roofs and glass across the city due to the number of high capacity blast bombs in use.
R.A.F. crews noted searchlights on the way to the target and they encountered some medium and heavy anti-aircraft fire. There was no evidence of any enemy planes. Visibility was good over the target and the weather was good for a bombing raid.
Vickers Wellington X3954 failed to return from the mission. It came down 6 miles northwest of Tonning around 50 miles west of Kiel, Germany. All men on board died as a result of the crash and received nearby burials at Brunsbüttelkoog Cemetery. Reburial at Kiel War Cemetery took place at a later date.
Remembering the crew of Wellington X3954
| Last Name | First Name(s) | Rank | Role | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firth | Ellison George | Sergeant | Wireless Operator / Air Gunner | R.N.Z.A.F. 412218. |
| Goldsack | Henry Edward | Sergeant | Air Gunner | R.A.F.V.R. 1250808. |
| Orr | Albert Cyril | Sergeant | Air Bomber | R.A.F.V.R. 1145143. |
| Parkinson | Lewis Harry | Sergeant | Navigator | R.N.Z.A.F. 412518. |
| Watters | Ventry | Sergeant | Pilot | R.N.Z.A.F. 413522. |
Albert Cyril Orr’s grave is in Section 3, Row F, Grave 2 of Kiel War Cemetery, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. His headstone bears the inscription:
Safe in the arms of Jesus. For ever with The Lord.