Photo : Brian Chandler
The headstone reads:
In loving memory of
Raymond Askew
Sgt. Flight Engineer, R.A.F., V.R.
killed in action 16th December 1943
aged 21 years.
Dear son of
Thomas and Susannah Askew.
In God's keeping.
Sgt. Askew was serving with 75 Squadron. He was a crew member of Stirling III EF163 JN-L which took off from Mepal on mine-laying operations in the Frisians. The aircraft crashed in Cambridgeshire. All died except one who was injured.
N.B.: This was an evening when 67 aircraft crashed on operations, some to Berlin and some on Operation Gardening, mostly with crews of 7-8, of whom most were killed, some were injured and some taken prisoner of war.
Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War: 1943;W.R. Chorley; 1996; Midland Counties Publications; ISBN 0 904597 90 3
He is remembered at Hirst on H62.02, H62.04 and at Ashington A17.27
