Crew members of Halifax JP119

Halifax JP119, VR-O was one of 14 aircraft of 419 squadron to take part in a 677 bomber attack on industrial targets in the western and southern areas of Berlin, 46 aircraft were lost in total. The crew were on their 12th mission when JP119 was lost. On the prior mission, number eleven, the aerial had been shot away possibly by flak, as the aircraft has been reported to have had flak damage on that mission. Although the crew had reported seeing flares being dropped by enemy a number of night fighters. So that also could have been the cause of the loss of the aerial, which caused missing the message to divert to the alternate target. On this the 12th mission together VR-O was brought down at approximately 03.20 hours about 22 miles north-west of Berlin at Zuhlen. The crew were interned in a "Comrades grave", when the grave was exhumed for reburial in 1950's only six of the crew could be positively be identified. In the group shot which was taken in front of VR-W not the aircraft they were lost on. F/O Gibson was 2nd Pilot on the JP119 on the night it was lost, he was not a regular member of the crew so he is not in the group photo.
P/O Palmer was a native of Buffalo New York, working for Bell Aircraft as an inspector, he crossed the border and travelled to Toronto where he enlisted in the RCAF. The newsclipping appears to indicate that his Tour was near to being complete it is just the way it is worded. The squadron summary shows he had fourteen and half sorties completed.

F/O Gibson

F/O Gibson's crew were sent back to 1664 CU for re-crewing after Gibson failed to return from his 2nd. Pilot sortie with the Palmer crew.
His former crew returned to 419 with WO John Greenidge as the captain. The Gibson/Greenidge crew were lost on March 29/30 on operation to Varies on Halifax HR912 which was lost without trace.