An Early ' Wellington' Aircrew Europe (1940 )
CASUALTY TRIO
Killed-in-Action on 24th October 1940
To:
580972. Sergeant (Observer, Gunner)
JOHN BRETLAND Mc CONNELL.
38 Squadron.
ROYAL AIR FORCE.
Sgt John B. Mc Connell was Killed-in-Action on 24th October 1940 during a raid on Hamburg.
Aged 20 from Nottingham.
. 
With an historically important private letter to his mother written on 16th June 1940 from No7 Bombing & Air Gunnery School at Newton Down near Pyle, Glamorgan, detailing his rather unauthodox thoughts on the fall of France.
. 
With an historically important private letter to his mother written on 16th June 1940 from No7 Bombing & Air Gunnery School at Newton Down near Pyle, Glamorgan, detailing his rather unauthodox thoughts on the fall of France. ( How this rather controversial and very negative letter bypassed the censor is not known )
The originalAir Ministry issue box mailing label is slightly damaged from contact with a perished elastic band but is quite obviously addressed to John's mother, Mrs M. Mc Connell at the family address in Nottingham.
Based at RAF Marham, Wellington IC L-7809 HD-T took off for a raid on Hamburg on the late evening of 23rd October 1940. The aircraft was lost during the night. There are no crash site details for this sortie but the crew of six including John Mc Connell are buried in BECKLINGEN WAR CEMETERY at SOLTAU.JOHN B. Mc CONNELL joined the RAF as a direct boy entrant age 15 in August 1935. He was the son of Mr Norman Mc Connell and Mrs Marjorie Mc Connell of 3 North Road, The Park, Nottingham.