Sergeant Harry James Crawford (973264) served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. He was the son of Harry Crawford and Jean M. Crawford of Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, and the husband of Mary Crawford of Cenore, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Harry died on 21st October 1943 aged 22 years old. He was a Navigator on board Handley Page Halifax EB239 MA-Y with R.A.F. 161 Squadron. The crew was on a Special Operations Executive mission. They took off from R.A.F. Tempsford, Bedfordshire, England at 0015hrs on 21st October 1943. At around 0300hrs, an Anti-Aircraft Battery shot the Halifax down and it crashed near Valenciennes, France.
Remembering the crew of Halifax EB239
| Last Name | First Name(s) | Rank | Role | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford | Harry James | Sergeant | Navigator | R.A.F.V.R. 973264. Killed aged 22 years old. |
| Crouch | Walter | Sergeant | Air Gunner | R.A.F.V.R. 1433486. Killed aged 21 years old. |
| Feely | Desmond Robert | Sergeant | Air Gunner | R.A.F.V.R. 1571107. Killed. |
| Lewis | Trevor Washington | Flight Sergeant | Pilot | R.A.F.V.R. 1481299. Killed. |
| Ramsden | John | Sergeant | Air Bomber | R.A.F.V.R. 1059364. Killed aged 33 years old. |
| Young | Charles Edward | Sergeant | Wireless Operator / Air Gunner | R.A.F.V.R. 1537408. Killed aged 27 years old. |
| Young | Thomas Bertram | Sergeant | Flight Engineer | R.A.F.V.R. 1581582. Killed aged 22 years old. |
Harry James Crawford’s grave is in Plot 4, Row A, Grave 4 of St. Roch Communal Cemetery, Valenciennes, France. His headstone bears the inscription:
He died that we might live.