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Name : Martin Frederick Matthews Son of : Henry James Matthews and Agnes Lucy Matthews (née Bishop) of Shanklin, Isle of Wight. Born : 1923, (registered Willesden Mar 1923 qtr). |
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| Service Details
: Sergeant 1602105 (Air Bomber) Martin Frederick Matthews, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. |
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| Casualty Details
: Died : 22 March 1945 aged 22. Buried at : Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire. CWGC Record |
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| Commemorated on these
Memorials : Shanklin War Memorial |
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Further Information
:
The aircraft left RAF Mildenhall at 10.55 on Ops to Bocholt, the Lancaster lost power due to the engine fire shortly after take-off, crashing into the ground in the forest, whereupon its bomb load of a 4000lb cookie and smaller bombs, plus the fuel exploded. The debris field extends some 250m outwards from the impact site, which is marked by a crater large enough to fit a small bungalow into. Its existence is marked by a plaque on a wooden stake and a wooden surround in which are placed pieces recovered from the crater and the surrounding areas. (click image to enlarge, images courtesy of Geoff Reynolds) 
Squadron Leader Bob Munns, formerly of XV Squadron, on the left and Geoff Reynolds unveiling the plaque in 1999. 
Images courtesy of Geoff Reynolds, © Kevin Grace The plaque was placed on a, more weather resistant, granite stone on the 75th anniversary of the crash in March 2020 at which members of the families and representatives of The Mildenhall Register were in attendance. All the crew were killed and are buried in a collective grave at Cambridge City Cemetery. This was the last Lancaster of XV Sqn to be lost in the war. |
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| Links : XV Sqn., Royal Air Force. |
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| Acknowledgements : John Bloodworth for Royal Air Force research Geoff Reynolds of The Mildenhall Register for further details of the circumstances of the crash. |
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| Page status : Page last updated : October 2019 |
 Memorials & Monuments
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