RUSSELL, Lewis Alexander

NAME                    RUSSELL          Lewis Alexander
RANK                    Pilot Officer        94268                                                                                                                                                Group 8     Bomber Command                                                                                                    SQUADRON         RCAF No. 415 “Swordfish”          6U P           
                              “to the mark”                                                                                                                              R                                East Moor - North Yorkshire                                                                                                          Born                      March 2, 1917 - Henfryn - Township of McKillop - County of Huron  - Ontario                Residence             Brussels - Ontario                                                                                                                    Died                       February 24, 1945          27 years   11 months
Cemetery              Reichswald Forest War Cemetery -Kleve - Rhine Westphalia - Germany
                              18   G   2-4
Wife                       Mrs. Wilhelmina Russel - St. Foy / Siliery - Quebec.                                                                  Children                 Miss Pamela Russell - St Foy - Quebec                                                                                      Mother                   Mrs. Florence Russell - Brussels - Ontario                                                                          Sisters                    Miss Clara Russell - Brussels - Ontario                                                                                                                      Miss Hannah Russell and Miss Margaret Russell  - London - Ontario                                                                        Mrs Catherine Wilson - Brussels - Ontario

Lewis was from Brussels and was born in Henfryn on March 2, 1917. He would have attended St Ambrose Roman Catholic Church in Brussels. He attended Brussels Public School from1923-33. He then attended Brussels Continuation School from 1933-36 and finished 3 1/2 years of High School. He then operated a grocery store in Brussels until his enlistment. He enjoyed football very much but also played baseball, basketball and hockey. Growing up he had had the measles.

Canada

August 6, 1941 in London - Ontario was when he enlisted into the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was 5' 9" and weighed 148 pounds. He had a medium complexion with brown eyes and hair. He received the rank of Aircraftsman 2 and that same day was attached to No. 1 Manning Depot in Toronto. He was there two weeks before being posted to The Technical Training School in St. Thomas on August 21. It was then on to No. 5 Initial Training School in Belleville - Ontario on October 11. While here he received the rank of Leading Aircraftsman. He had an average of  87% and was 27 in a class of 107 men. LAC Russell was then posted on December 7 to No. 11 Elementary Flying Training School based at Cap de la Madeleine in Quebec.                                                                                                                                                In the late winter of 1942 on March 1 the next posting sent him to NO. 8 Service Flying Training School in Moncton - New Brunswick. He earned the rank of Sergeant at this time. He was then granted indefinite leave on July 6. He received the rank of Flight Sergeant on June 19.                                                                            During 1943 he was on indefinite leave. However he was given the rank of Warrant Officer 2 and Warrant    Officer 1 during the year.                                                                                                                                          On January 27, 1944 he recalled from leave and was posted to No. 8 Air Observer School in Ancienne Lorette - Quebec and the next day was posted to No. 1 "Y" Depot in Lachine - Quebec. WO 2 Russell the reported toNo. 3 Personnel Reception Centre on February 14. The following day on February WO 1 Russell embarked from Canada for overseas and disembarked in the United Kingdom on February 24 and the reported to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre. His first posting overseas took him to No.15 Pilot Advanced Flying Unit based at RAF Caistor in Lincolnshire. These units helped the aircrew train in the weather conditions of the United Kingdom in twin engine aircraft on April18. While here he attended Beam Approach Training from May 31-June 6, 1944 and achieved an above average 70%. Overall at No. 15 AFU his average was 67%. From there he went to No. 54 Operational Training Unit based at RAF Charterhall based in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders.. Following this his next posting was to RCAF 61 Base on October 4 which was the RCAF training base and at the end of the year on December 28 he went to RCAF 415 Squadron based at RAF East Moor in North Yorkshire.

In the Field                                                                                                                                                           

The target for this unusual daylight raid was Bergkamen just north of Kamen in Germany and this was a target because of the synthetic oil plants. Halifax NP 936 “ P” lifted off the runway at 13:09 hours. The total aircraft involved were 340. This was his 10th mission for Flying Officer Russell and they had onboard 10-500 Semi Armour Piercing bombs; 6-500 Medium Capacity Bombs and they were bombing the target from 15,000 feet. The target was covered in cloud with the tops at 5,000 feet. The target was cloud covered and heavy damage was reported in both Bergkamen and Kamen.  P/O Russell’s aircraft crashed at Kreis Luenen in Germany and was the only aircraft lost.  Halifax NP 936was struck by bombs of an aircraft above them. while both aircraft were in their bombing runs. A sergeant Haas of the German Army on March 21 approximately a month later approached the priest of local church and the Herz Jesu Cemetery in Kreis Luenen with the remains of the crew and asked if they could be buried. The crew was then buried in this location but were not from Halifax NP 936 . However, further investigating revealed that on March 12 five bodies from a crash at Luenen were buried in Dortmund Main Cemetery. The recovered crew were identified and were Pilot Officer Russel's crew and now rest in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. 

During the month of February 1947 the widow of Pilot Officer Russell received the medals awarded  to her late husband and these were to 1939-45 Star, the France & Germany Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal along with the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp. As well she received the Operational Wings that her late husband had earned. In December of 1948 the widow of Pilot Officer Russell and his mother received the Memorial Cross.

Pilot Officer Russell is honoured and remembered on the Brussels Cenotaph and on the Memorial Plaque of St Ambrose CatholicChurch. He is also honoured and remembered on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial, on the RCAF Bomber Command Memorial as well as on the Memorial at RAF East Moor in North Yorkshire in England.