Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Memorial – Father J P Lardie's comments as inscribed on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

Memorial – Squadron Leader Robert George West is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

Memorial – Squadron Leader Robert George West is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens

Grave Marker

Photo of Robert George West – Robert George West in his full uniform in Halifax 1941.

Photo of Robert George West – This photo was taken in Edmonton in November 1941. He is wearing his full uniform, while walking down the street.

Group Photo – This photo was taken in Kinloss, Scotland. PO West is centre of the picture with other students, mainly Sergeants, are wearing 'Wings' after basic flying training at RCAF Edmonton. At 19 OTU (Operation Training Unit) RAF Kinloss in Scotland he would have crewed up - a navigator, bomb aimer, air gunner and wireless operator formed. Then 20 weeks of operational training with crew or otherwise on twin-engine Wellingtons, and Whitley's. Following this course the crew would have been posted to one of several H.C.U's (Heavy Conversion Unit) mainly based in Yorkshire to learn how to operate the 4 engine 'Heavy' Halifax bomber. With the increased armament and engine controls, a second gunner and a Flight Engineer joined the crew making it 7 in total. After 12 weeks conversion to 'operational readiness, he and his crew were posted to 76 Squadron RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor in Yorkshire. A few weeks after posted in he and all the crew lost their lives on the night of 22-23 June 1944 while returning from a bombing raid in occupied France in a heavily damaged Halifax BMkII, serial LW620, code MP-G. It was airborne at 23:07 hours from Holme-on-Spalding Moor in Yorkshire, tasked to bomb the large railway marshalling yards at Laon, preventing the enemy sending reinforcements to the Normandy Beach head. After leaving the target was attacked and lost an engine by a Me110 night-fighter, but the aircraft was still able to fly on three engines. While preparing to descend to Holme-on-Spalding Moor, the damaged inboard port engine was 'feathered reduce drag but the propeller flew off, spun into the cockpit, killing pilot and wireless operator instantly. Now out of control, the Halifax nose dived and crashed at 04:21 hours near Hotham, 10 miles WSW of Beverley, Yorkshire. Four of the seven man crew including the two Canadians, were buried in Stonefall Cemetery, Harrogate, the other three buried in their home towns. Pilot S/Ldr Robert George WEST RCAF KIA age 25 buried in Stonef