JONES George Leeson
Flight Lieutenant George Leeson JONES
Flt/Lieut. George Leeson JONES
War Medals
War Medals, 1939-45 Star, France and Germany Star, with box of issue and condolence slip
Flight Lieutenant George Leeson JONES
127237, R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve,
No. 207 Squadron, Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
KIA 15/16 July 1944
Lost over France during Air Operations in Lancaster 1 ME807 EMS (More details below)
Buried in Row B. Grave 1 at LIGIERS-DE-TOURAINE COMMUNAL CEMETERY, France
Home: Long Ash Farm, Bishopston.
Son of William James Jones and Mildred Elizabeth Ann Jones of Swansea, Wales
Attended Gowerton School.
Jones did approximately 16 operations, from the end of April 1944, to when he was killed in July.
Additional Information by Aircrew Remembered
Operation: Nevers
Date: 15/16th July 1t944 (Saturday/Sunday)
Unit: No. 207 Squadron
Type: Lancaster Iu
Serial: ME807
Code: EM-S
Base: RAF Spilsby, Lincolnshire.
Location: Marnay near Lignieres-de-Touraine, Indre et Loire, France.
Pilot: Fl/Lt. George Leeson Jones, 127237 RAFVR Age 30. Killed
2nd. Pilot: F/O. Edward Dalgleish, 177620 RAFVR Age 25. Killed
Flt/Eng: P/O. Barrington St. John Woollard, 179243 RAFVR Age 23. Killed
Nav: F/O. Frank Reginald Tickle, AUS/409772 RAAF Age 34. Killed
Air/Bmr: P/O. Frederick George Graham, J/88399 RCAF Age 21. Killed (1)
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Joseph Harold Fellows, 1581317 RAFVR Age 21. Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Richard Arthur Gaut, 2220609 RAFVR Age 19. Killed
Air/Gnr: P/O. Michael James Wallace Cantwell, J/90372 RCAF Age 18. Killed
REASON FOR LOSS
Bomber Commands operational plan called for simultaneous raids on railway marshalling yards in France. The raiding force, which was comprised of 222 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitoes, would split once over the French coast, one half headed for Nevers 130 miles to the south of Paris and the other to Châlons sur Marne 90 miles to the east.
Fl/Lt. Jones and crew took off from their base at Spilsby at 22:14 hours. Five minutes later, Fl/Lt. William Murphy piloting Lancaster ME851 of R.A.A.F. 467 Squadron, took off from Waddington both destined for Nevers.
At 03:00 hours the two Lancasters collided in mid-air, crashing and exploding in flames at Marnay in the Commune of Lignieres.
Avro Lancaster
F/O Edward Dalgleish
Sgt. Joseph Fellows
Sgt. Richard Gault
P/O Frederick Graham
The crew members of ME807 and ME851 are buried side by side at Lignieres de Touraine. (Photo courtesy Pierre Vandervelden, IN MEMORY)
Researched and written for Aircrew Remembered by Colin Bamford and dedicated to Alison Dalgleish, niece of F/O Dalgleish and her daughter Corinne and all the families of the crew of Lancaster ME807.
Burial Details:
Fl/Lt. George Leeson Jones, Lignieres de Touraine Communal Cemetery, Row B Grave 1. Son of William James Jones and Mildred Elizabeth Ann Jones of Swansea, Wales.
F/O. Edward Dalgleish, Lignieres de Touraine Communal Cemetery, Row B Grave 5. Son of Edward and Catherine Agnes Webster (nee Hanley) Dalgleish, husband of Margaret Emily Maude (nee Moore) Dalgleish of Leith, Midlothian, Scotland.
P/O. Barrington St.John Woollard, Lignieres de Touraine Communal Cemetery, Row B Joint Grave 2. Son of William Robert and Editha Agnes Woollard of Norbury, London, England.
F/O. Frank Reginald Tickle, Lignieres de Touraine Communal Cemetery, Row A Grave 6. Son of Ephraim John Gerrard Tickle and Esther Tickle; husband of Phyllis Margaret Tickle of South Yarra, Victoria, Australia.
P/O. Frederick George Graham, Lignieres de Touraine Communal Cemetery, Row A Grave 5. Son of Joseph Frederick and Amy Graham of Oak Lake, Manitoba, Canada. Further details: Born and educated in Oak Lake, P/O Graham enlisted in the R.C.A.F. on January 15, 1942. After graduating from Central Navigation School, Rivers, Manitoba on April 13 1943, he was posted overseas completing 20 operations over enemy territory.
Sgt. Joseph Harold Fellows, Lignieres de Touraine Communal Cemetery Row B Joint Grave 2. Son of Joseph and Ethel May (nee Croome) Fellows of Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, England.
Sgt. Richard Arthur Gaut, Lignieres de Touraine Communal Cemetery Row A Grave 2. Son of Abraham and Emily Gaut of Donnington, Shropshire, England.
P/O. Michael James Wallace Cantwell, Lignieres de Touraine Communal Cemetery, Row A Grave 8. Son of James W. Cantwell and Mary Ellen Cantwell of Campbelltown, New Brunswick, Canada.
Acknowledgements: Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives and Fred Paradie - Paradie Archive (both on this site), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.