John Thompson Graham

Flight Sergeant John Thompson Graham of Newtownards, Co. Down died on 28th March 1942 when his Mark I Short Stirling bomber came down in the North Sea.

Flight Sergeant

John Thompson Graham

968335

Flight Sergeant John Thompson Graham died alongside his fellow countryman Sergeant Desmond Edwin Sproule Sidney-Smith when their Stirling Bomber came down on a raid on Lübeck.

Flight Sergeant John Thompson Graham (968335) served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during World War Two. He was the son of Joseph Graham and Elizabeth "Bessie" Isobel Graham of Newtownards, Co. Down.

Flight Sergeant Graham died on 28th March 1942 aged 29 years old while serving in RAF 7 Squadron. He was a member of the crew of Short Stirling W7501 MG-Z when it took off at 1938hrs from RAF Oakington, Cambridgeshire.

During the raid on Lübeck, Germany, the bomber came under attack from a Luftwaffe fighter piloted by Oberleutnant Ludwig Becker of 6/NJG 2. The bomber came down at around 2205hrs in the North Sea to the north of Terschelling, Netherlands. All 7 of the crew died as a result of the incident.

Remembering the crew of Stirling W7501

Last Name First Name(s) Rank Role Information
Edwards Jeffrey Hugh Flight Lieutenant RAF 42052.
Cale Ronald Philip Sergeant RAFVR 1381147.
Eagle Leonard Reil Sergeant RAFVR 570100.
Norris Louis Robert Martin Sergeant RAFVR 926585.
Banks John Charles Lyon Sergeant RAFVR 917462.
Graham John Thompson Flight Sergeant RAFVR 968335.
Sidney-Smith Desmond Edwin Sproule Sergeant RAFVR 1056817.

John Thompson Graham has no known grave. His name is on Panel 74 of the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England.

References
  1. Aircrew Remembered
  2. Arnhem 1944
  3. Aviation Safety
  4. Commonwealth War Graves
  5. Find A Grave
  6. International Bomber Command

Royal Air Force