Clifton, United Methodist Church - Lister St/Middle Lane
N GOLDIE
L COLES J WALKER A STEEL |
Additional Information
Neil Goldie (1216316)
Royal Air Force - 432 (R.C.A.F.) Sqdn
25 June 1943, aged 23
Wellington aircraft lost on a mission to Germany
Bergen-Op-Zoom War Cemetery
Leslie James Coles (1493989)
Royal Air Force - 159 Sqdn.
10 November 1944, aged 23
Liberator aircraft lost on a mission over the Bay of Bengal
Singapore Memorial
John Walker (2657949)
Coldstream Gaurds - 2nd Bn
7 December 1944
Died of wounds in Italy
Santerno Valley War Cemetery
Alan Steel (550484)
Royal Air Force - 102 Squadron
29 August 1940, aged 21
Whitley aircraft crashed in North Yorkshire on a training flight
Mexborough Cemetery
Royal Air Force - 432 (R.C.A.F.) Sqdn
25 June 1943, aged 23
Wellington aircraft lost on a mission to Germany
Bergen-Op-Zoom War Cemetery
Leslie James Coles (1493989)
Royal Air Force - 159 Sqdn.
10 November 1944, aged 23
Liberator aircraft lost on a mission over the Bay of Bengal
Singapore Memorial
John Walker (2657949)
Coldstream Gaurds - 2nd Bn
7 December 1944
Died of wounds in Italy
Santerno Valley War Cemetery
Alan Steel (550484)
Royal Air Force - 102 Squadron
29 August 1940, aged 21
Whitley aircraft crashed in North Yorkshire on a training flight
Mexborough Cemetery
Neil Goldie - 1216316
© IWM (HU 104762)
Wellington
Neil Goldie was the second child of steelworker Neil Goldie and his wife of 5 years Kathleen (nee Law). He was born in Rotherham on 1 January 1921, but his mother died later in that year. His father remarried again in 1932 to Annie (nee Lawrence) and lived at 4 Chatham Street, Rotherham.
Neil enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1941, service number 1216316, and trained as a pilot. He became a Sergeant flying the Vickers Wellington bomber with Bomber Command’s 432 (RCAF) Squadron. The squadron part of 6 Group of Royal Canadian Air Force was formed at Skipton-on-Swale in Yorkshire in May 1943. They took part in their first raid on 23/24 May to Dortmund. On 27/28 May Sergeant Goldie’s aircraft was hit by flak on a mission to Essen, the home of the giant Krupps works. On 14/15 June he was airborne on a ‘gardening’operation, where the aircraft sows mines in the sea, near Lorient. On this occasion they could not pinpoint the area to drop the mines and returned early. Ten days later he was dispatched on a mission to Wuppertal, one of 630 aircraft - 251 Lancasters, 171 Halifaxes, 101 Wellingtons, 98 Stirlings, 9 Mosquitos sent to attack the Elberfeld half of Wuppertal. His aircraft that night, 24/15 June was a Wellington Mk X serial number HF-572 coded QO-J which was airborne at 23:05. The aircraft crashed killing all the five man crew at Kerkdriel, Gelderland, Holland. Neil Goldie was 22 years old and now lies in Bergen-Op-Zoom War Cemetery.
Note
The other member of the crew killed were:
Sgt George Liddle, RAFVR – 1390957 – navigator – aged 33
Sgt Frank William Noel, RAFVR – 658650 – air bomber – aged 30
Sgt Charles Kingston Killick, RAFVR – 1331007 - wireless operator/air gunner – aged 22
Sgt William Albert Sparrow, RCAF – R/80605 – air gunner – aged 27
Neil enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1941, service number 1216316, and trained as a pilot. He became a Sergeant flying the Vickers Wellington bomber with Bomber Command’s 432 (RCAF) Squadron. The squadron part of 6 Group of Royal Canadian Air Force was formed at Skipton-on-Swale in Yorkshire in May 1943. They took part in their first raid on 23/24 May to Dortmund. On 27/28 May Sergeant Goldie’s aircraft was hit by flak on a mission to Essen, the home of the giant Krupps works. On 14/15 June he was airborne on a ‘gardening’operation, where the aircraft sows mines in the sea, near Lorient. On this occasion they could not pinpoint the area to drop the mines and returned early. Ten days later he was dispatched on a mission to Wuppertal, one of 630 aircraft - 251 Lancasters, 171 Halifaxes, 101 Wellingtons, 98 Stirlings, 9 Mosquitos sent to attack the Elberfeld half of Wuppertal. His aircraft that night, 24/15 June was a Wellington Mk X serial number HF-572 coded QO-J which was airborne at 23:05. The aircraft crashed killing all the five man crew at Kerkdriel, Gelderland, Holland. Neil Goldie was 22 years old and now lies in Bergen-Op-Zoom War Cemetery.
Note
The other member of the crew killed were:
Sgt George Liddle, RAFVR – 1390957 – navigator – aged 33
Sgt Frank William Noel, RAFVR – 658650 – air bomber – aged 30
Sgt Charles Kingston Killick, RAFVR – 1331007 - wireless operator/air gunner – aged 22
Sgt William Albert Sparrow, RCAF – R/80605 – air gunner – aged 27
Leslie James Coles - 1493989
John Walker - 2657949
John Walker was born in Rotherham in the first quarter of 1918, he was the third child of William Joseph Walker and his wife Clara (nee Graham). The family lived
at 61 East Crescent, Sunnyside.
John enlisted in the Army, service number 2657949, and became a Lance Serjeant in the 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards. The Battalion fought with the British Expeditionary Force and then in North Africa before being involved in the Italian Campaign in early 1944. The battalion disembarked on the 5th of February at Naples and were ordered forward immediately to Monte Ornito where they fought a desperate twelve day battle. The battle for Cassino followed this and then the advance up Italy continued steadily during the summer. The Battalion moved along the valley of the River Tiber to Perugia and then to Arezzo. At Perugia they fought a major battle at
Monte Pacciano, where No 4 Company and `S' Company distinguished themselves. There was a short halt at Arezzo, whilst preparations were made to assault the
Gothic Line. The Germans, however, abandoned it before the assault could be made. In late November and early December the unit is south-west of Bologna. John Walker died of wounds on 7 December 1944, aged 26 and now lies in Santerno Valley War Cemetery.
at 61 East Crescent, Sunnyside.
John enlisted in the Army, service number 2657949, and became a Lance Serjeant in the 2nd Battalion, Coldstream Guards. The Battalion fought with the British Expeditionary Force and then in North Africa before being involved in the Italian Campaign in early 1944. The battalion disembarked on the 5th of February at Naples and were ordered forward immediately to Monte Ornito where they fought a desperate twelve day battle. The battle for Cassino followed this and then the advance up Italy continued steadily during the summer. The Battalion moved along the valley of the River Tiber to Perugia and then to Arezzo. At Perugia they fought a major battle at
Monte Pacciano, where No 4 Company and `S' Company distinguished themselves. There was a short halt at Arezzo, whilst preparations were made to assault the
Gothic Line. The Germans, however, abandoned it before the assault could be made. In late November and early December the unit is south-west of Bologna. John Walker died of wounds on 7 December 1944, aged 26 and now lies in Santerno Valley War Cemetery.