McCallum, George Ker Loudon

Other Information

103 Squadron was based at Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire and operated Lancaster bombers.

At 20:57 on 28 April 1943, Lancaster III serial ED733, marked PM-X, took off from Elsham Wolds on Operation “Gardening”, which throughout the war was RAF code for laying mines.

The target area was “Tangerines” which was in the Baltic off Pillau (then in Prussia, now called Baltiysk, Russia).

On the way home, the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed about 02:20 at Jordrup, which is 12 km NW of Kolding, Denmark.

All the crew are in Esbjerg (Fourfelt) cemetery.

They were:-
Sgt A D Nicholson (Pilot)
Sgt G L K McCallum (Flight Engineer)
P/O L Meakin (Navigator)
Sgt J C Lilley (Bomb Aimer)
Sgt T J Daley (Wireless Operator / Air Gunner)
Sgt M D Peters (Air Gunner)
Sgt A Segal (Air Gunner)

The Germans photographed the crash and after the war the story was researched by the local Danes.

Sources

Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Scottish National War Memorial (Edinburgh Castle.)
Jorderup Storving Lokalhistoiske Arkiv, Denmark.
Kolding Museum, Denmark.
Scottish War Memorials Project.
www.aircrewremembered.com
www.flensted.eu.com/19430053.shtml

Here dead we lie, Because we did not choose
To live and shame the land, From which we sprung.

Life, to be sure, Is nothing much to lose,
But young men think it is, And we were young.

[Here Dead We Lie, A.E. Housman]

When You Go Home,
Tell Them Of Us And Say,

For Your Tomorrow,
We gave our Today

[Kohima, attributed to John Maxwell Edmonds]

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
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