Bomber Command Memorial Register

Coveney (double Lancaster crash) Lancaster Memorial

Coveney (double Lancaster crash), Cambridgeshire

Complete Record
Approximate location?

Help us verify this location. This memorial's position is not yet precisely confirmed. If you have local knowledge, photographs, or documentary evidence of the exact site, we'd love to hear from you.

Photographs

5d1528b76e439 Coveney 1 547x410
5d1528b76e439 Coveney 1 547x410, Credit: Tony Hibberd / War Memorials Online
5d1528b8d23b9 Coveney 3 547x410
5d1528b8d23b9 Coveney 3 547x410, Credit: Tony Hibberd / War Memorials Online

Location

Coveney (double Lancaster crash), Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire

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Narrative

On the night of 18/19 April 1944, 115 Squadron at RAF Witchford sent twenty-six Lancasters to bomb the railway marshalling yards at Rouen in France. The raid was completed successfully, but as the bombers returned to their Cambridgeshire base, Luftwaffe Me 410 intruder night fighters were waiting over the circuit. Two Lancasters were intercepted and shot down within sight of their home airfield. Lancaster LL667 KO-R, piloted by twenty-year-old Pilot Officer John Birnie, was caught in the circuit at approximately 02:10 and crashed at Common Farm, Witchford. All seven crew were killed. Less than forty minutes later, at 02:48, Lancaster LL867 A4-J, piloted by Flight Lieutenant Charlie Eddy of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, was also intercepted and shot down, crashing near Ely. Again, all seven crew were killed. The fourteen young men -- drawn from Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia -- had completed their mission and were within minutes of safety when they died. A memorial plaque in St Peter ad Vincula church at Coveney commemorates all fourteen aircrew.

Aircraft & Operation Details

115 Squadron badgeDespite the elements
Aircraft Type
Lancaster
Serial Number
LL667 and Lancaster LL867
Squadron
115 Squadron
Station
Witchford
Date of Loss
1944-04-19
Operation Type
Operational
Target
Railway marshalling yards at Rouen, France
Cause of Loss
Both aircraft shot down by Luftwaffe Me 410 intruder night fighters while in the circuit at RAF Witchford, returning from operations over Rouen

Crew (14 members)

RankNameRoleAgeNationalityFateBurial / Status
P/OJohn Birnie
173326 RAFVR
Pilot (LL667)20BritishKilledCambridge City Cemetery
SgtJack Ferguson
1501340 RAFVR
Flight Engineer (LL667)19BritishKilled—
F/SgtDavid Lloyd Jones
RAFVR
Navigator (LL667)30BritishKilled—
SgtErnest Kerwin
1540856 RAFVR
Wireless Operator (LL667)30BritishKilledCambridge City Cemetery
P/OArnold Lepine
J92605 RCAF
Bomb Aimer (LL667)27American (serving with RCAF)Killed—
SgtWilliam James MacMillan
R209012 RCAF
Mid Upper Gunner (LL667)19CanadianKilled—
SgtGeorge Edward Bailey
1868473 RAFVR
Rear Gunner (LL667)23BritishKilled—
F/LtCharlie Eddy
RNZAF
Pilot (LL867)—New ZealanderKilledCambridge City Cemetery
WO IIHenry Bennis
RCAF
Air Gunner (LL867)—CanadianKilledCambridge City Cemetery
SgtAlfred Frank Langridge
RAFVR
Crew (LL867)—BritishKilled—
F/SgtPeter John Edward Maddox
RAFVR
Crew (LL867)—BritishKilled—
SgtWilliam Leslie Murphy
RAFVR
Crew (LL867)—BritishKilled—
SgtHarold Edward George Pugh
RAF
Crew (LL867)—BritishKilled—
F/OAlbert Smith
RAFVR
Crew (LL867)—BritishKilled—

About the Crew

P/O John Birnie(age 20)Pilot (LL667)

A twenty-year-old pilot from Britain, Birnie was flying Lancaster LL667 KO-R on operations to Rouen when his aircraft was intercepted returning to base.

Sgt Ernest Kerwin(age 30)Wireless Operator (LL667)

From Wakefield, Yorkshire

F/Lt Charlie EddyPilot (LL867)

A New Zealand pilot serving with the RNZAF, Eddy was commanding Lancaster LL867 on the return from Rouen when intercepted by Luftwaffe intruders.

Memorial Details

Type
Double memorial

Memorial Care

parish council
Organisation
Coveney Parish Council

Local Contacts

These local organisations are connected to this memorial and may be able to help with information or visits.

City of Ely Royal British Legionbritish legion

Local remembrance and memorial support

Coveney Parish Councilparish council

Local authority responsible for memorial upkeep

Further Reading

Coveney Community ArchiveRetrieved 2026-03-23

Community archive record of the double Lancaster loss in Coveney parish on 19 April 1944. Lancasters LL667 and LL867 of 115 Squadron were shot down by Luftwaffe Me 410 intruders as they returned to RAF Witchford from a raid on Rouen, crashing within a mile of their home base.

Both shot down by Me 410 intrudersReturning from raid on RouenLL667 crashed at Common Farm, Witchford at 02:10LL867 crashed near Ely at 02:48

War Memorials OnlineRetrieved 2026-03-23

Memorial plaque record for the two 115 Squadron Lancaster crews at Coveney. The memorial in the village church commemorates all 14 aircrew killed in the two crashes on the night of 19 April 1944.

Memorial plaque in Coveney village church14 aircrew commemorated (7 each aircraft)

Aviation Safety NetworkRetrieved 2026-03-23

Accident record for Lancaster Mk II LL667 of 115 Squadron shot down on 19 April 1944. Documents the loss as combat-related, intercepted by night intruder aircraft.

Lancaster Mk II variantShot down near home base

Squadron records for Lancaster LL667 KO-R of 115 Squadron. Provides crew listing and operational history of the aircraft prior to its loss on the night of 19 April 1944.

Aircraft code KO-RSquadron records from Belgian archive

Sources

Credits & Acknowledgements

Record compiled by
Keith Binley
Heritage sources
Coveney Community Archive (retrieved 2026-03-23)
War Memorials Online (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Aviation Safety Network (retrieved 2026-03-23)
115 Squadron RAF (Belgian archive) (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Last updated 2026-03-23

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