JACK DENNIS THOMPSON

Ipswich War Memorial | Posted on 6th October 2016 |

From May through to September 2026, Andrew will be fulfilling his dream to hike the iconic Land’s End to John O’Groats! You are all warmly invited to follow Andrew’s epic journey on his Facebook page, “Andrew Beal LEJOG” https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577588795730

As Andrew hikes the 1,300+ miles, he will raise funds for the Ipswich War Memorial Project to help finance our future exhibitions and research of the brave Ipswich men and women who lost their lives in conflict. If you would like to make a small donation, please click on the link: https://gofund.me/5d4a50570

Thank you for your love and support. Andrew & Helen – I.W.M.P.

Born: 1920, West Ham, Essex.

Died: 7th November 1941; age:21; aircraft brought down by a night-fighter.

Residence: 250, Colchester Road, Ipswich.

Employed: Cranfield’s Flour Mill, Ipswich.

Rank: Sergeant/Wireless Operator/Front Air Gunner; Service Number: 1152206.

Regiment: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 75 Squadron.

Grave Reference:

Collective Grave 8.H.3-7,

Bergen-Op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery,

Noord-Brabant,

Netherlands.

Relatives Notified & Address: Ernest Alfred & Edith Ellen Beatrice Thompson of Ipswich.

Father: Ernest Alfred Thompson, born June 1880, Clerkenwell, London.

Mother: Edith Ellen Beatrice Thompson (nee Upson), born July 1894, Ipswich.

CENSUS

1921 30, Cleveland Park Crescent, Walthamstow, Essex.

Jack was 11 months old and lived with his parents.

Ernest Thompson, 41 years, a Drapery Traveller for the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd., London.

Ellen Thompson, 26 years & 11 months old, Home Duties.

ENGLAND & WALES REGISTER 1939

Jack lived with his parents and sister at the family home – 250, Colchester Road, Ipswich.

Ernest, a Commercial Traveller.

Edith, unpaid Domestic Duties.

Audrey E. Thompson, at School, born January 1922, West Ham, Essex.

Patricia J. Thompson, at School, born September 1929, Essex.

Jack is also remembered on the war memorial at Dance East, Ipswich. Formerly Cranfield’s Flour Mill.

RAINBOW CREW

7th/8th November 1941 – Rainbow Crew

Aircraft: Vickers Wellington IC; serial number: X9976; based at R.A.F. Feltwell, Norfolk. The Wellington took off on a mission to Berlin at 17:30/18:00 hrs.

On their return journey, at around 01.21hrs, the Wellington was intercepted and shot down by a night-fighter Oberst Helmut “Bubi” Lent and crew of unit II./NJG.2 – “Fliegerhorst” Leeuwarden – his 27th ‘kill’. The bomber immediately fell out of control and crashed, burning into a typical Frisian open and low grassland area, mainly used as summer meadows, near the Botmar (a small lake) close to the hamlet of Soarremoarre, between Akkrum and Oldeboorn, 15 miles south of the town of Leeuwarden. All the crew were killed.

The wreckage soon sank into the swampy peat bog, and by the next morning, there was already little to see (only some small parts of the wings and the rear section).

For that reason and because of the autumn weather, there had been a lot of rain, it was not possible to recover the wreckage or the bodies of the crew.

More than 10 years after the crash, in 1952, the human remains of the crew members were finally recovered and buried, but, alas, not in the nearby local cemetery. As far as is known, it was not a decision of the families!

They were all part of this so-called “Rainbow Crew” and found their common and final resting place in the Canadian War Cemetery at Bergen op Zoom (in the Province of Noord-Brabant in the South of the Netherlands), in a collective grave.

Crew:

John William Black; Flight Sergeant/Pilot Officer; age 27; R.N.Z.A.F.

Trevor Hedley Roland Gray; Sergeant/Pilot; age 27; R.N.Z.A.F.

Eric Lloyd; Pilot Officer/Observer; age 28; R.N.Z.A.F. Photograph courtesy of the Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19411210-26-30 and Auckland Museum http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C28662

Leslie Cyril Green; Flight Sergeant/Wireless Operator/Air Gunner; age 21; R.A.F.V.R.

Charles Thomas Black; Sergeant/Rear Air Gunner; age 30; R.A.F.V.R.

In 2010, 69 years after the crash, a new and permanent stone was ready. It was unveiled, in an emotional but thankful service, by the daughter of Sergeant Trevor H. Gray, Lorraine Gray, together with other next of kin of the crew and with the help of her own daughter, schoolchildren, local people, local and military authorities, etc.

Lorraine was born only one day after her father sailed from New Zealand to go on his RNZAF service. He had never seen his beautiful girl.

Now, since that date, they have a brand new memorial where, on the same day every year, the children remember those brave airmen of Wellington X9976.