Flight Sergeant Joseph Stewart (627588) served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was the son of Joseph Stewart and Margaret Stewart, and husband of Susan E. Stewart of Belfast.
Joseph died on 22nd July 1941 aged 26 years old. He was a Wireless Operator / Air Gunner on Vickers Wellington R1334 with RAF No. 11 Operational Training Unit. The crew took off from RAF Steeple Morden, Hertfordshire on a night-time cross-country training exercise on 21st July 1941. At 0019hrs on 22nd July 1941, a Luftwaffe Junkers JU-88C intercepted the bomber and opened fire. The planes collided and crashed in flames near Ashwell, Hertfordshire. There were no survivors from either craft.
Remembering the crew of Wellington R1334
| Last Name | First Name(s) | Rank | Role | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | Frederick Slade | Sergeant | Pilot | RCAF R/68200. Killed aged 22 years old. |
| Hannah | Walter Anthony | Sergeant | Pilot | RAFVR 748787. Killed aged 22 years old. |
| Thompson | Bruce Cathcart | Sergeant | Pilot | RAAF 400299.Killed aged 24 years old. |
| Lewis | Claude Mortimer Spratt | Sergeant | Observer | RAFVR 1154594. Killed. |
| Stewart | Joseph | Flight Sergeant | Wireless Air Gunner | RAFVR 627588. Killed aged 26 years old. |
| Hibbert | Reginald Ernest | Sergeant | Wireless Air Gunner | RAFVR 1153276. Killed aged 20 years old. |
| Manning | Percival Theodore | Sergeant | Wireless Air Gunner | RCAF R/59283. Killed aged 20 years old. |
| McAllister | Robert Andrew | Sergeant | Air Gunner | RAAF 404410. Killed aged 26 years old. |
Joseph Stewart’s grave is in Glenalina Extension, Section T1, Grave 233 of Belfast City Cemetery, Belfast. His headstone bears the inscription:
In remembrance of my beloved husband Joseph killed on active service.