Waithe (4) Lancaster Memorial

Local remembrance and memorial support

Local authority responsible for memorial upkeep

Biographical article on Wing Commander David William Holford DSO DFC (21 February 1921 - 17 December 1943), who was the youngest bomber squadron commanding officer in RAF history when he took command of 100 Squadron at age 21 in February 1943.

Holford was 22 when killed. He had already completed two full tours of operations. Appointed CO of 100 Squadron at Waltham on 21 November 1943. Crashed Lancaster JB560 in thick fog near Kelstern after the Black Thursday Berlin raid.

International Bomber Command Centre loss record for Lancaster JB560 and W/C Holford. Documents the operational details and crew information for this Black Thursday loss.

IBCC loss record reference 111010. Lancaster JB560 was the aircraft carrying the 100 Squadron commanding officer on the Berlin raid of 16/17 December 1943.

The Waithe combined memorial commemorates W/C Holford's crew alongside three other 100 Squadron Lancaster crews lost on Black Thursday. The memorial is a black polished marble tablet on the A16 Louth Road.

Holford's loss was devastating for 100 Squadron — losing their CO alongside multiple other crews in a single night. Two crew members survived the crash of JB560.

RAF Commands war dead database entry for Wing Commander D.W. Holford (service number 41704), recording his death on 17 December 1943 while serving with 100 Squadron.

Service number 41704. Holford held both the DSO and DFC. His death at 22 made him one of the youngest wing commanders to be killed in Bomber Command.