Sergeant Walter Perkins details of last operation

Sergeant Walter Perkins details of last operation

Gives personal details, date of death 21 March 1945, Squadron 214, B-17 on Jostle operation, list crew and gives biographic details of Walter Perkins.

Two page printed document

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Sergeant Walter Perkins (2223326)
Date of Brith [sic] : 03-08-1925
From: Calverton, Nottinghamshire
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Trade: Air Gunner
Date of Death: 21-03-1945
Age: 19
Squadron: 214
Squadron Motto: Ultor In Umbris (Avenging The Shadows)
Station: RAF Oulton, Norfolk
Aircraft: Flying Fortress III HB785 BU-A

Details of final mission
The crew took off from RAF Oulton on 20-03-1945 at 2340 on Jostle duties in support of synthetic oil plant raid at Bohlen (near Leipzig). All crew were killed in the aircraft and are all buried together in Durnbach War Cemetery near Bad Tolz. Below are the names of the crew that flew on that final night.

Crew:
Pilot Officer- Hilton Mackay Carter (J/94203) (Canadian) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant- William Denis Dale (1594366) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer- Douglas Nugent Donald (J/47071) (Canadian) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer- Robert Verdun Kingdon (J/28299) (Canadian) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant- Donald Fraser Miller (1809260) (RAF) (Wireless Operator)
Sergeant- Donald Parker (3040675) (RAF) (Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer- James Walter Pellant (J/95470) (Canadian) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant- Walter Perkins (2223326) (RAF) (Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer- William Arthur Routley (J/93926) (Canadian) (Navigator)
Warrant Officer Class II- Robert George Wilson (R/197780)(Canadian) (Air Gunner)

Biography
Walter was the son of William and Alice Gadys Perkins from Calverton, Nottinghamshire. Walter was engaged to a local girl from the village. In civilian life Walter was a Capstan Operator. He signed up on 12-01-1944. During his time serving at RAF Oulton Walter was billeted at Blickling Hall, this is a National Trust property based around 2 miles away from the airfield. When he came home on leave Bernard (Walters younger brother) would meet him at the garden gate and rush to take to his kit bag so that he could steal the barley sugar sweets from it. When

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the dispatch rider arrived to deliver the confirmation of death telegram Alice (Walters Mother) collapsed into the bushes on the garden path and Bernard helped pick her up. Walters mother stored many of the items returned to the family in a shoe box. Several of Walters artefacts are on display in the RAF Oulton museum within the grounds of Blickling Hall, these includes his medals which have never been mounted on the ribbons, his RAF pay book, flight log book and several of the telegrams reporting him missing in action and the letter of condolence from Wing Commander D D Rogers. The room in which the museum is based is the same room where some of the officers used as living space. It took the family several months to discover where he had been buried, this was due to the grave being moved to several different locations. Walters name is mentioned on Panel 225 and also a stone has been placed on the Ribbon of Remembrance at IBCC.

This information has been collected from Bernard Perkins (Walters Brother) and put together by James Perkins (Walters Great Nephew)