419 Squadron RCAF 1941 to 1945 Crew of Halifax DT630

Crew of Halifax DT630

On this night raid on Hamburg the crew of VR-T found themselves about five minutes late crossing the channel and getting over the French coast. Placing the Halifax into a dive to gain some speed and distance. Being late and behind the main force was not the only problem that was facing the pilot, he had lost contact with the rear gunner. The whole intercom system had stopped working. MacKenzie had to make a decision to turn back or keep going a little further to see if the intercom would return to normal.
Now some twenty-five minutes from the target area the Halifax was attacked by an FW190 from astern and slightly below. F/S Milton stated later that the evasive manoeuver had been carried out, somehow the corkscrew command had filtered through the intercom and Sgt. MacKenzie went into the corkscrew turns. Sgt. Marquand had though it was an Me110 in his report.
The turns to escape the attacking fighter did not help, the whole length of the aircraft’s fuselage was racked by canon fire killing MacKenzie and most likely Sgt. Connet in the Middle Upper turret. The heavy canon shells also set off the incendiaries in the bomb-bay severing lines to engines and other vital controls. Sgt. Duthie worked at putting the fire out but was unable to because of the nature of the incendiary devices. The Navigator would later report he gave the bail out command via a pre-arranged call light series of flashes. Which implies the intercom was still unreliable.
Sgt. Marquand was first out followed by Garnett, who took time to check what was happening to the others in the crew in the front section. He noted that Sgt. Hill was still at his Wireless position and Sgt. Duthie still at the F/E position, but both were preparing to leave the out of control aircraft. At this point the enemy fighter returned and attacked the falling Halifax.
Sgt. Marquand was hit in the area of his ear has prepared to jump and the fighter made this second pass. F/S Milton was continuing to keep up the fire on the fighter to drive it away to enable the others to escape. He kept up the fire until he dropped out from his turret into the dark skies. It is unknown for sure what happened to WOII Hill and Sgt. Duthie and why they did not escape. The second pass of the fighter may have caught them both before they had time to leave the aircraft.
Only Sgt. Marquand, Sgt. Garnett and F/S Milton managed to bail out. All were captured and became PoWs in the same camps. This was Garnett’s second operation with MacKenzie’s crew and Marquand and Milton’s third operations. MacKenzie’s crew came at the start of the conversion to Halifax bombers by 419 and no date can be found for their arrival.

Crew of Halifax DT630

Pilot Officer

Jack Douglas MacKenzie

Pilot 3rd. Op. Age 21
Killed in Action February 3 1943
From Winnipeg Manitoba
Burial Sleen General Cemetery, The Netherlands

Sergeant

William Peter Duthie

Flight Engineer Age 21
Killed in Action February 3, 1943
From Winnipeg Manitoba

Warrant Officer II

Raymond Hepton Hill

WAG Age 23
Killed in Action February 3, 1943
From Montreal Quebec
Burial at Sleen General Cemetery, The Netherlands

Warrant Officer II

Lennox Alwin Gonnett

M/U Air Gunner Age 22

Killed in Action February 3, 1943
From Westmount Quebec
Burial at Sleen General Cemetery, The Netherlands

Sergeant

W.N. Garnett

Navigator
PoW #27476 Stalag Luft VIIIB and 344

Flight Sergeant

Alexander Henry Milton RAF

Tail Gunner Age 20
PoW #27475 Stalag Luft VIIIB and 344

Warrant Officer

E.R. Marquand

Bomb Aimer
PoW #27492 Stalag Luft VIIIB and 344

Crew of Halifax DT630

Pilot Officer

Jack Douglas MacKenzie

Pilot 3rd. Op. Age 21 Killed in Action February 3 1943 From Winnipeg Manitoba Burial Sleen General Cemetery, The Netherlands

Sergeant

William Peter Duthie

Flight Engineer Age 21 Killed in Action February 3, 1943 From Winnipeg Manitoba

Warrant Officer II

Raymond Hepton Hill

WAG Age 23 Killed in Action February 3, 1943 From Montreal Quebec Burial at Sleen General Cemetery, The Netherlands

Warrant Officer II

Lennox Alwin Gonnett

M/U Air Gunner Age 22

Killed in Action February 3, 1943 From Westmount Quebec Burial at Sleen General Cemetery, The Netherlands

Sergeant

W.N. Garnett

NavigatorPoW #27476 Stalag Luft VIIIB and 344

Flight Sergeant

Alexander Henry Milton RAF

Tail Gunner Age 20PoW #27475 Stalag Luft VIIIB and 344

Warrant Officer

E.R. Marquand

Bomb AimerPoW #27492 Stalag Luft VIIIB and 344

Pilot 3rd. Op. Age 21
Killed in Action February 3 1943
From Winnipeg Manitoba
Burial Sleen General Cemetery, The Netherlands

Flight Engineer Age 21
Killed in Action February 3, 1943
From Winnipeg Manitoba

WAG Age 23
Killed in Action February 3, 1943
From Montreal Quebec
Burial at Sleen General Cemetery, The Netherlands

Killed in Action February 3, 1943
From Westmount Quebec
Burial at Sleen General Cemetery, The Netherlands

Navigator
PoW #27476 Stalag Luft VIIIB and 344

Tail Gunner Age 20
PoW #27475 Stalag Luft VIIIB and 344

Bomb Aimer
PoW #27492 Stalag Luft VIIIB and 344