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Sergeant Denis Riddell BURN (912226)
9 Squadron Royal Air Force Date of birth: 4th October 1918 Date of death: 13th April 1942 Killed in action aged 23 Buried at Reichswald Forest War Cemetery Plot 26 Row G Grave 13
Denis Riddell Burn was born on the 4th of October 1918 the only son of Sir Harry Harrison Burn, KBE, a chartered accountant, and of Lady Annie Cecile (nee Riddell) Burn of Calcutta and of "Heathmount", Liss in Hampshire. He was educated at Lancing College where he won a Choral Scholarship and was in Olds House from September 1932 to July 1937. He was a member of the Shooting VIII in 1936 and 1937, winning the Girling Rifle in 1937. He was appointed as a House Captain in 1936. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve where he trained as an air gunner and rose to the rank of Sergeant. On the night of the 12th/13th of April 1942 Bomber Command dispatched 171 Wellingtons, 31 Hampdens, 27 Stirlings, 13 Halifaxes and 9 Manchesters for an operation on Essen. 173 aircraft claimed to have bombed the target, but their bombing photographs showed that in fact a number of different German towns had been hit. At Essen itself, 5 high explosive and 200 incendiary bombs hit the Krupps factory and started a large fire there. Denis Burn and his crew took off from RAF Honington at 10.51pm in Wellington Mk III X3722 WS-? for the operation. The aircraft crashed during the early hours of the morning of the 13th of April at Moers-Vinn, 11 kilometres west south west of Duisburg; the cause of the crash is unknown. The crew was: - Sergeant Frederick Davidson DFM (Pilot) Sergeant Cyril John Riley-Hawkins (2nd Pilot) Sergeant Thomas Ralph Mildon (Observer) Sergeant Carl Vincent Williams (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) Sergeant Denis Riddell Burn (Front Gunner) Sergeant Harry James (Rear Gunner) (POW Stalag Luft I) Theirs was one of ten aircraft which were lost on the raid. Harry James, who had been wounded, was the only member of the crew to escape from the aircraft. He later made a statement on the events of that night to Wing Commander Harry Day, the Officer Commanding his prison camp, and was sent to the Air Ministry. It read: - "Sgt. James states that the aircraft in which he was flying was hit by enemy action on the night of 12th April, 1942. The captain of the aircraft, Sgt Davidson, was very severely wounded, having his leg blown off, but still gallantly remained at the controls although the aircraft was rapidly losing height. As soon as Sgt. Davidson saw that he could not save the aircraft, he told the crew to save themselves. Before Sgt. James went, he saw the navigator, Sgt. Mildon, who looked as if he was ready to "bale out"

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