Serjeant W.Op./Air Gnr. 1531755 Leslie Banks

BMD details:
Probable birth registered Q4 1921 at Prescot, Lancashire. Vol 8b - Page 1533. Mothers maiden name: MELDING

Census details:
1939 Register - Not identified.

Remembered on [url=http://aircrewremembered.com/loney-glen.html]The Aircrew Remembered Website.[/url] [b]619 Squadron[/b] was formed in the summer of 1943 and disbanded after the war was won. In the meantime the squadron lost 85 aircraft and almost 600 men in 23 months of operations as a main force squadron of No.5 Group of Bomber Command. It had provided three of the Command's master bombers and shared bases, aircraft and crews with its better-known sister squadron, No [b]617 Squadron[/b] (of [b]Dambusters[/b] fame). On December 16 1943, 619 Squadron Lancaster III JA867 PG-X took off on a mission to bomb Berlin. The aircraft took off at 16;30 Hours from RAF Woodhall Spa. Crashed at Eberswalde-Finow, where all were first buried. Since 1945 their remains have been brought to Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. F/O G B Loney RCAF killed F/S J Gray killed F/O H A De Vries killed F/O M Gennis RCAF killed Sgt L Banks killed Sgt D Corbitt killed Sgt R F Dearden killed 619 Squadron Details. Often referred to as the 'Forgotten Squadron' 619 Squadron was formed as a Main Force bomber unit within No 5 Group, at RAF Woodhall Spa on April 18, 1943. The first squadron crews came from 97 Squadron and they were equipped with Lancasters, but they changed operating bases several times: 9 January 1944 - RAF Coningsby 17 April 1944 - RAF Dunholme Lodge 28 September 1944 - RAF Strubby 30 June 1945 - RAF Skellingthorpe Disbanded on 18 July 1945 669 young airmen who lost their lives whilst serving at RAF Dunholme Lodge, a satellite station of RAF Scampton that was open from 1942 - 1945. Three RAF Squadrons, 44 (Rhodesia), 170 and 619 were stationed at Dunholme Lodge, all flying Lancasters. [pic]imgs/S1PWHYAOTV/Banks_L_zps1c561721.jpg[/pic][caption]The headstone of Sgt Wop/Ag RAF Leslie Banks at Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery (Picture courtesy of Jeff Keenan)[/caption]