Born in Guernsey on 11 May 1922, the son of George Edwin de Garis (farmer) and Lilian Ada Nicholson of the Castel.
War Service Joined the R.A.F. on May 18th. 1941 and received his licence on 1st. March 1942. He then went to have special training in Florida, U.S.A. Sergeant Pilot in 1942, Flight Sergeant in 1943. Pilot Officer in the RAFVR 214 Squaron and flew Stirling R9197 BU -V After a spell of bad weather HQ Bomber Command signalled a major raid on Hamburg and 214 Sqd. responded with ten Stirlings loaded with 1710x4lbs and 90 x4lbX incediaries. At 18.37 hrs on the 3rd February 1943 Derek with seven other crew (five from the Canadian airforce) in R9197 took off from Chedburgh, Suffolk. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at Leudsen (near Utrecht) in a wood between the Vallekanaal and the old railway track 4 km South South East of Amersfoort-Kesteren, Holland. One other aircraft of 214 was lost. There were a total of 16 bombers lost out of 263 that night and the raid was only a limited success. Researchers have translated a book written by the navigator of the Messerschmitt (Bf 110 f - 4 a specially designed night fighter) that shot down R9197 who details the airfight, the death of the famous German pilot Kapitän Reinhold Knacke from the last salvo that gunner O'Nell fired from the Stirling and the crash of his Messerschmitt.
War Service Joined the R.A.F. on May 18th. 1941 and received his licence on 1st. March 1942. He then went to have special training in Florida, U.S.A. Sergeant Pilot in 1942, Flight Sergeant in 1943. Pilot Officer in the RAFVR 214 Squaron and flew Stirling R9197 BU -V After a spell of bad weather HQ Bomber Command signalled a major raid on Hamburg and 214 Sqd. responded with ten Stirlings loaded with 1710x4lbs and 90 x4lbX incediaries. At 18.37 hrs on the 3rd February 1943 Derek with seven other crew (five from the Canadian airforce) in R9197 took off from Chedburgh, Suffolk. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at Leudsen (near Utrecht) in a wood between the Vallekanaal and the old railway track 4 km South South East of Amersfoort-Kesteren, Holland. One other aircraft of 214 was lost. There were a total of 16 bombers lost out of 263 that night and the raid was only a limited success. Researchers have translated a book written by the navigator of the Messerschmitt (Bf 110 f - 4 a specially designed night fighter) that shot down R9197 who details the airfight, the death of the famous German pilot Kapitän Reinhold Knacke from the last salvo that gunner O'Nell fired from the Stirling and the crash of his Messerschmitt.
Born in Guernsey on 11 May 1922, the son of George Edwin de Garis (farmer) and Lilian Ada Nicholson of the Castel.
War Service Joined the R.A.F. on May 18th. 1941 and received his licence on 1st. March 1942. He then went to have special training in Florida, U.S.A. Sergeant Pilot in 1942, Flight Sergeant in 1943. Pilot Officer in the RAFVR 214 Squaron and flew Stirling R9197 BU -V After a spell of bad weather HQ Bomber Command signalled a major raid on Hamburg and 214 Sqd. responded with ten Stirlings loaded with 1710x4lbs and 90 x4lbX incediaries. At 18.37 hrs on the 3rd February 1943 Derek with seven other crew (five from the Canadian airforce) in R9197 took off from Chedburgh, Suffolk. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at Leudsen (near Utrecht) in a wood between the Vallekanaal and the old railway track 4 km South South East of Amersfoort-Kesteren, Holland. One other aircraft of 214 was lost. There were a total of 16 bombers lost out of 263 that night and the raid was only a limited success. Researchers have translated a book written by the navigator of the Messerschmitt (Bf 110 f - 4 a specially designed night fighter) that shot down R9197 who details the airfight, the death of the famous German pilot Kapitän Reinhold Knacke from the last salvo that gunner O'Nell fired from the Stirling and the crash of his Messerschmitt.
War Service Joined the R.A.F. on May 18th. 1941 and received his licence on 1st. March 1942. He then went to have special training in Florida, U.S.A. Sergeant Pilot in 1942, Flight Sergeant in 1943. Pilot Officer in the RAFVR 214 Squaron and flew Stirling R9197 BU -V After a spell of bad weather HQ Bomber Command signalled a major raid on Hamburg and 214 Sqd. responded with ten Stirlings loaded with 1710x4lbs and 90 x4lbX incediaries. At 18.37 hrs on the 3rd February 1943 Derek with seven other crew (five from the Canadian airforce) in R9197 took off from Chedburgh, Suffolk. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at Leudsen (near Utrecht) in a wood between the Vallekanaal and the old railway track 4 km South South East of Amersfoort-Kesteren, Holland. One other aircraft of 214 was lost. There were a total of 16 bombers lost out of 263 that night and the raid was only a limited success. Researchers have translated a book written by the navigator of the Messerschmitt (Bf 110 f - 4 a specially designed night fighter) that shot down R9197 who details the airfight, the death of the famous German pilot Kapitän Reinhold Knacke from the last salvo that gunner O'Nell fired from the Stirling and the crash of his Messerschmitt.
Inscription
IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY OF DEREK. OF CANDIE, CASTEL, GUERNSEY, CHANNEL ISLANDS
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