Date of birth:

October 8th, 1921 (Warburton Villas-The Lough/Cork, Ireland)

Date of death:

April 20th, 1944

Buried on:

Commonwealth War Cemetery Heverlee
Plot: II. Row: G. Grave: 1-7.

Service number:

135442/1187365

Nationality:

British

Gerald Herbert Cruwys was born as the second eldest of four sons to Herbert Frederick Cruwys and Edith Florence Wiggins. Gerry attended the St.Finn Barre’s School in Cork.
When he was 13 years old, in 1934, his parents moved back to England where they originally came from and lived in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Here he attended the St. Paul’s Practising School and the North Gloucestershire Technical College. After his education het joined the Dowty Equipment Ltd. as a draughtsman.

At the outbreak of the Second World War he in 1940 volunteered for the RAF. He enlisted on August 23rd, 1940 and was trained at Prestwick to become a pilot/wireless operator/air gunner. Unfortunately he did not pass his exam on February 5th, 1941. After some consideration he was trained as observer/navigator and received his commission as Pilot Officer, Navigator on October 6th, 1942. On November 4th, 1941 he joined No. 58 Squadron, serving in a night-bomber role. On November 28th, 1941 he already transferred to No. 138 (Special Duties) Squadron at Newmarket, Suffolk. The, in August 1941 formed squadron was specialized in transport operations for Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). InJanuary 1942, the squadron moved to Stradishall, Suffolk and in March towards Tempsford Airfield in Bedfordshire, where part of the unit was dissolved into the new No. 161 Squadron. Gerry transferred to No. 161 on March 8th, 1942. He became Pilot Officer (Navigator) on October 6th, 1942.
With No. 161 Squadron he was involved in Top Secret missions, supplying the French resistance and dropping SOE agents from RAF Tempsford. In June 1943 he attended as a navigational instructor the 19 Operational Training Unit (O.T.U.) at RAF Kinloss, Scotland and then moved to No. 97 Squadron on October 25th, 1943. He received his Pathfinder Force Badge on February 5th, 1944. On March 20th, 1944 he was transferred to Pathfinder Force 8, No. 635 Squadron at Downham Market in Norfolk.

On April 20th, 1944 his plane, Avro Lancaster III, ND826, F2-W, was shot down over Belgium by a German nightfighter during ann operational flight towards Ottignies. The plane crashed at Dion-le-Mont and the whole crew was killed. The remains were initially buried together at the Le Culot Military Cemetery in Belgium and were later transferred to a communal grave at the Heverlee War Cemetery in Heverlee, Belgium.

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• Photo 1: RAF photo
• Photo: Cruwys family archive reproduced by permission of Debbie Kennett
  
• - The Pathfinders, 97 Squadron, & Black Thursday
  

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