John Terrance Costello

COSTELLO, John Terrance

War
2nd Word War
Date of Birth
Date Attested
Attested at
London, Ontario
Regimental Number
155334
Rank
Sergeant
Date of Death
Age at Death
22 years 1 month
Biographical Summary

NAME                  COSTELLO      John Terrance                                                                                                        RANK                   Sergeant / Air Gunner      155334                                                                                                                               Group 1 - RAF Bomber Command                                                                                                SQUADRON        RAF No.166 Squadron 
                            “tenacity”
                            Kirmington Airfield in Lincolnshire
                            Squadron markings AS                                                                                                    Residence           Goderich - Ontario                                                                                                                    Birth                     September 15, 1921 - Goderich - Township of Goderich - County of Huron                                  Died                     October 22, 1943      22 years  1 month 
Cemetery             Hanover War Cemetery - Hannover – Harenburg - Niedersachsen - Germany
                             II C 7
Parents                Judge Thomas Costello and Mae Costello - Goderich.                                                                  Brother                Craig was living in Goderich                                                                                                            Sister                   Mrs. Norah Rankin - Montreal - Quebec

Terry was born in Goderich on September 15, 1921 and his family home was at 27 Bruce Street. He
apparently was very athletic and enjoyed playing his two favourite sports of baseball and hockey. Other sports he enjoyed included swimming, golf and tennis. He apparently did not suffer any childhood diseases growing up. He attended Renfrew Separate School 1928-31 before he and his family moved to Goderich where he attended St Peter's Parish School 1931-35. His high school education took place at Goderich Collegiate Institute and De La Salle Catholic High School in Toronto 1935-42. He left school at age 20.  Terry's father was a County of Huron court judge. 

In Canada                                                                                                                                                                                              
He travelled to London on May 12, 1942 to enlist into the RCAF at London. Upon enlistment he was 5' 10" tall and he weighed 175 pounds. He had a medium complexion with brown eyes and dark brown hair. Once he did so he was issued a Movement Order and came back to Goderich. He was then issued orders to travel to Toronto and on August 17, 1942 he boarded a train at the CNR in Goderich at 6:15 am and arrived in Toronto at 11:05 am. He then went immediately to No. 1 Manning Depot at the Exhibition Grounds and reported for duty. While at the Manning Depots a man learns to shave, bathe, polish boots, shine his buttons and maintain his uniform. In addition, he has two hours of physical education each day, foot drill, marching drill. rifle true and learning how to salute. On October 8th he is posted to No. 4 Manning Depot in Quebec City to continue with his training. No. 5 Initial Training School located in Belleville is his next posting and he goes there on December 5, 1942. He he has studies on subjects that a Pilot or Air Observer must have. One test was with a psychiatrist and another test was the 4 hour long medical examination, a session in a decompression chamber and a "test flight" in a Link Trainer.  In the spring of 1943 on March 20th he was assigned to No. 2 Air Gunner Ground Training School in Trenton. His next posting was out to the prairies to No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School at MacDonald - Manitoba. Here he learned the techniques of bomb aiming and aerial machine gunning. The aircraft used was the Avro Anson and the Fairey Battle. Here he received his "Wings". The finals order for him in Canada happened on June 20, 1943 when he was ordered to the Halifax "Y" Depot in preparation for embarkation from Canada and to attend the RAF Training Plan.

Overseas

T/Sergeant Costello departed Halifax Harbour and Canada on June 23rd. Sergeant Costello disembarked in the United Kingdom on July 1, 1943. On July 2nd he was posted to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre. He was then posted to No. 81 Operational Training Unit - Tilstock - Shropshire on July 9th and here they would train for night missions by having bombing training and gunnery training. He flew in Avro Ansons and Armstrong Whitworth Whitely. On September 10, 1843 he was assigned to his next posting which was No. 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit - Lindholme - South Yorkshire. It was here they would train on heavy 4 engine aircraft like the Avro Lancaster or the Handley Page Halifax.

In the Field

On October 9, 1943 he was posted to RAF No. 166 Squadron - Kirmington - North Lincolnshire which had just converted to Avro Lancaster Mk 1 and Mk III bombers the month previous.                                                              He and His crew were to be part of a mission of October 22, 1943. Twelve aircraft were taking part in this raid from No. 166 and Sergeant Costello and his crew lifted from the runway in good weather at Kirmington at        5:55 pm in Lancaster ED 366. Sergeant Costello was the mid upper gunner on this flight. This was the first mission for this aircraft. The target for this raid was Kassel located in Germany. En route to the target heavy icing was encountered in cloud up to 24,000 feet. Enemy night fighters were active. The weather was good over the target. This raid was deadly, with 150,000 people being bombed out, 10,000 + people died, the majority of the centre of the city was destroyed and the resulting fired burned for a week. The targets on this raid were the Fieseler aircraft plant which helped produce the V1 rocket, the Henschel plants which made the Tiger tanks, the Henschel locomotive plant, an engine plant, a motor transport plant, the railway works and the Central Germany Headquarters for highway and railway construction.The result of this raid was the bombing was very accurate and to date it was one of the most devastating. Lancaster ED 366 was on the homeward leg after successfully bombing the target and was then attacked by night fighters about 10 minutes from Kassel.                                      The Burgomeister of Westuffeln saw the burning aircraft at 500 feet at a steep angle and crashed into a field        1 1/2 miles west of the village. He went on to state that a member of the crew identified himself as the Captain of the aircraft and that he was Sergeant Hurst. This was the only member of the crew to have survived.                    The Burgomeister of Laar saw the aircraft falling in flames. He stated that the aircraft was hit by flak and began to burn and that is when he saw a night fighter attacking the bomber and from the light of the burning aircraft and the light of flares he witnessed one crew member bailing out. He then said the aircraft begin to spin down, straighten out at about 1,500 feet and then crash. Both Buromeister stated the aircraft crashed without exploding at about 22:30 hours.                                                                                                                                                  Both Burgomeisters were at the crash scene the next morning and said the front of the aircraft was badly damaged and the mid and aft sections were not burnt. Six bodies were recovered the the wreckage and they said three crew members were badly burned and three men were not burned and were clothed. One of the unburned men was mid upper gunner Sergeant Costello. All personal belonging were removed from the bodies. Sergeant Costello was buried in one grave and the remaining five crew members were buried in a large grave. They were buried in the south-west corner of the village cemetery at Westuffeln. The graves of the crew is surrounded by a cement border and a cross was erected with the inscription RAF   6 English Flyers    KIA   August 22/43. Both said they were buried without coffins, without military honours and without Christian rites.

Following the German surrender Judge and Mrs. Costello had wanted to travel to Germany immediately to visit the site where their son was resting. This was not possible as there was much confusion in Germany, the Allies were still occupying Germany, there was no accommodations and it was still hostile in places. In 1948 the British Government began to consider requests from families who had lost a loved one and was buried in Germany. The research suggests it was after 1950 before families were able to visit Germany.

Since the close of the war the the crash site of Lancaster ED 366 has been located and many artifacts such as a pocket knife and handle, a harness clip, an electric switch along with an incendiary bomb. Following the crash and when the wreck was investigated the bombs that did not explode were buried in the ground in a dugout.

In February of 1945 Terry's mother Mae received the Memorial Cross. In March of 1947 the Costello family received the medals awarded to Terry and these included the 1939-45 Star, the Air Crew Europe Star, the War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp.

Terry is honoured and remembered on the Goderich - Ontario Cenotaph. He is honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaque of Goderich Collegiate and on the Memorial Plaque of De La Salle Catholic High School in Toronto. He would be honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaque of St Peter's Catholic Church in Goderich. He is honoured and remembered on the Virtual Canadian War Memorial. He has been honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaque of Group 6 - the Canadian Bomber Command Museum. He is honoured and remembered in the Book of Honour for RAF No. 166 Squadron which is located in St. Helena's Church - Kirmington - Lincolnshire - England.