Leatherhead War Memorials: David Stapylton Gillett

61 Squadron RAF
Early in the morning of 13 January 1943 Lancaster bombers of No.61 Squadron, No.5 Group Royal Air Force were part of a force from Nos. 1 & 5 Groups taking part in an attack on Essen, one of the cities in the industrial heartland of Germany, the Ruhr. The pilot of one of those aircraft was Flt Lt David Gillett.

His Lancaster mkI W4192 QR-E took off at 0335hrs from RAF Syerston. It crashed at Mettman, 14 km ENE of Düsseldorf, where the crew, who were all killed, were buried in the Nordfriedhof. Their graves are now in the Reichswald War Cemetery¹.

Pilot	Flt Lt David Stapylton Gillett RAFVR: 117679: age 22: Grave 8.G.5. REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY. Son of William Alan and Ella Mabel Gillett, of Leatherhead, Surrey; husband of Margaret Virginia Gillett, of Leatherhead.
Flight Engineer	Sgt Albert Frederick Haden RAFVR: 1185774: age not given: Grave 8.G.3.
Navigator	F/O John Edward Northend RAFVR: 119289: age 22: Grave 8.G.2. Son of William Frederick and Phyllis Northend, of Sheffield.
Observer (Air Bomber)	F/S John Charles Morgan RAFVR: 969408: age 36: Grave 8.G.7 Son of the Revd. John Arthur Morgan, M.A., and Anna Ida Morgan; husband of Dorothea Mary Morgan, of Derby. B.A. (Cantab.): Pembroke College
Wireless Operator	Sgt Edward Roberts RAFVR: 1064318: age 29: Grave 8.G.4. Son of Harry and Ada Ellen Roberts, of Hull.
Mid Upper Gunner	P/O Ronald Henry William Hatt RAFVR: 132167: age 23: Grave 8.G.8. Son of Henry William and Fanny Hatt; husband of Mavis Cynthia Hatt.
Rear Gunner	Sgt Herbert Frank Burton RAFVR: 913376: age 24: Grave 8.G.6. Son of Arthur Frank and Ada Burton, of Cliffe-at-Hoo, Kent.

ESSEN 12/13 January 1943
4 Pathfinder Mosquitoes and 55 Lancasters of 1 and 5 Groups, Bomber Command.
1 Lancaster lost [that of David Gillett].

The Oboe equipment of the first Mosquito to arrive failed and the other 3 Mosquitos were all late. Because of this many of the Lancasters bombed on dead reckoning. Some bombs did fall in Essen, where 20 houses were destroyed or seriously damaged and 9 people were killed, but other bombs fell in Neviges, Remscheid, Silongen and Wuppertal, a group of towns 12-20 miles south of Essen. 19 people were killed in Remscheid.²

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
FLIGHT LIEUTENANT
DAVID STAPYLTON GILLETT RAF
DEARLY BELOVED HUSBAND OF VIRGINIA GILLETT

AND SON OF

COL. AND MRS. W. ALAN GILLETT OF LEATHERHEAD
WHO WORSHIPPED AND SERVED IN THIS
CHURCH AND GAVE HIS LIFE IN ACTION OVER
GERMANY ON 12TH JANUARY 1943 AGED 22.

MAY LIGHT PERPETUAL SHINE UPON HIM

Sources
1. RAF Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, volume for 1943 (WR Chorley)
2. Bomber Command War Diaries 1939-45 (Middlebrook & Everitt)

the website editor would like to add further information on this casualty
e.g. a photo of him, of his grave and of any recollections within his family