WESTON Richard Verdun

NAME                  WESTON      Richard Verdun                                                                                                          RANK                   Warrant Officer 1st / Wireless Operator / Air Gunner     99738                                                                                   Group 1 - RAF Bomber Command                                                                              SQUADRON        RAF   No. 166 
                            “tenacity”
                            RAF Kirmington Airfield in Lincolnshire
                            Squadron Markings AS                                                                                                  Residence           Goderich - Ontario                                                                                                                    Birth                    October 5, 1919 - Bayfield - Township of Stanley - County of Huron - Ontario                          Died                    January 2, 1945     25 years   3 months                                                                                  Cemetery            Choloy War Cemetery - Choloy - Meurthe-et-Moselle - France
                            2 C 3
Parents               Mr. Edgar and Nina Weston - Goderich

Richard was born on October 5, 1919 in Bayfield and while growing up he attended Bayfield Public School.
Later he would live at 41 West Street in Goderich and here he attended high school at Goderich Collegiate
Institute. He very much enjoyed music and also played hockey, did a lot of swimming and enjoyed hunting/shooting. Growing up he had the measles and the mumps. After his schooling Richard was employed as a shipping clerk, was a Great Lakes Sailor, worked in the Salt Mine and worked a survey gang before enlistment. From 1940-41 he was part of the militia and was with the Huron Middlesex Regiment. The family would have attended Knox Presbyterian Church.

Canada

Richard traveled to London on May 15, 1941 and enlisted into the Royal Canadian Air Force with the rank of Aircraftsman 2. He was at the London Recruitment Centre until July 21. His first posting took him to No. 1 Manning Depot in Toronto until October 10. Then it was on to No. 1 Wireless School in Montreal and here he received the rank of Leading Aircraftsman.                                                                                                                At the end of March 1942 the next posting him to Jarvis - Ontario to No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School and remained here until mid May. While here he received the rank of Sergeant and earned his Air Gunner Badge. With his training complete he was posted to RCAF No. 31 Operational Training Unit based at Debert - Nova Scotia and remained here until June 30.

Overseas 

Sergeant Weston then volunteered for the RAF Training Pool and he embarked from Canada on September 26 and he disembarked in the United Kingdom on October 9 and then reported the next day to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre in Bournemouth. He remained here until his first posting in England on October 28 to RAF        No. 4 Signals School based at RAF Madley - Herefordshire. He remained here until the end of November at which time he was posted to RAF No. 2 Personnel Despatch Centre in Lancanshire. While here he is posted to No. 1432 Flight / RAF No 36 Personnel and Training Command and he embarked from the United Kingdom on August 18, 1943 and returned on September 9. He was then posted to RAF No. 1 Personnel Despatch Centre. During this period he obtains the rank of Warrant Officer 2.

In the Field

On September 26 he was posted to RCAF No 407 Squadron - No 19 Group of RAF Coastal Command and the squadron was based at RAF Chevenor - Devon.                                                                                                  Then on February 15, 1944   he receives a posting to RAF No. 83 Operational Training Unit based at RAF Child's Ercall - Shropshire to train on the Wellington Bomber. He was here until May 24 when he was posted to RAF 30 OTU based at RAF Hixon - Stafforshire which was part of RAF 93 Group  of Bomber Command.and trained on Wellington bombers for night missions. At the end of July he was then posted to RAF 11 Base which was based at RAF Lindholms - Yorkshire. He remained here until until October at which time he was posted to RAF No. 166 Squadron based at RAF Kirmington - Lincolnshire.                                                                                  He came to love music. In fact while overseas he formed his own band that played in between missions and
entertained the troops.
It is possible that his middle name was in memory of a soldier killed during World War 1.
The target for this mission was the city of Nuremburg which had aircraft, submarine and tank production facilities in the south of the city. They bombed the target at 19:30 hours. It was during this mission Lancaster Mk 111 AS-G  PB 635 with Warrant Officer Weston as part of the crew was shot down from American anti-aircraft fire at 20:41 hours. He was the Wireless Operatoron this flight. The aircraft left RAF Kirmington at 15:10 hours on January 2, 1945 and on its return leg to England. The aircraft crashed 1 mile west of Puttelenge-les-Thionville in France. It is believed that American personnel recovered the bodies of the crew and buried them in an American Cemetery.                                                                                                                                                                     Allied aircraft had been ordered NOT to switch on their IFF (identify friend or foe) which would assist the Luftwaffe and flak units to track and attack Allied aircraft.
In previous raid on Nuremburg there had been disappointment with the bombing results, but on this raid the
city finally succumbed to this attack. Warrant Officer Weston and his crew were part of that successful raid.
Visibility on the raid was clear and the rising full moon helped. The industrial areas in the south of the city
contained aircraft, submarine and tank production facilities along with the railway yards and all were very seriously damaged.                       
                                                                                                                                                                      Richard's mother Nina received the Memorial Cross in March of 1946. His parents then received the medals awarded to their son and included the 1939-45 Star, the France - Germany Star, the War and Defence Medals along with the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp in the month of January 1947.

On his grave is the inscription “meurthe-et-moselle”. He is honoured and remembered on the Goderich - Ontario Cenotaph. He is honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaque of Knox Presbyterian Church and on the Memorial Plaque of Goderich Collegiate.
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