Sergeant Gerald Joseph Burns (1796555) served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. He was the son of Hugh Burns and Agnes Burns of Belfast.
He died on 9th June 1944 ages 24 years old. At the time, he was an Air Gunner in RAF 44 Squadron. As Mid Upper Gunner, Burns took off with a crew on Avro Lancaster NN697 at 2203hrs from RAF Dunholme Lodge, Lincolnshire on a bombing raid over France. The mission was to take out a railway junction near Étampes in support of the action following the D-Day Landings. A night-fighter shot down the bomber over Morigny-Champigny around 3km north-east of the target. All crew members died as a result of the incident.
| Last Name | First Name(s) | Rank | Role | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balsdon | Desmond Ernest | Flying Officer | Pilot | RAF 160069 |
| Burns | Gerald Joseph | Sergeant | Mid Upper Gunner | RAFVR 1796555 |
| Clubb | Frederick John | Flying Officer | Navigator | RAAF 423641 |
| Death | Leslie Frederick | Sergeant | Flight Engineer | RAFVR 1250525 |
| O'Neill | Edwards Lawrence | Flight Sergeant | Rear Gunner | RCAF R/161795 |
| Walters | Richard Stuart Lynton | Flight Sergeant | Bomb Aimer | RAFVR 1587139 |
| White | Peter Berchman | Pilot Officer | Wireless Air Gunner | RAAF 419495 |
Gerald Joseph Burns’ grave is in Grave 9 of Morigny-Champigny Communal Cemetery, Essonne, France. His headstone bears the inscription:
Eternal rest grant unto his soul, O Lord.