Reginald Mather
In 1939, Reginald Mather was a clerk at the Pickford Road Transport Office.
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He was the son of Frederick and Edith Ivy Mather and the brother of Ronald, Betty and Margaret Mather. In 1939, they lived at 2, Enthorpe Street, Aspley, Nottingham. Frederick and Edith later moved to Wollaton.
Halifax V DK265 took off 2249 8 Oct 1943 from Tholthorpe. 431 (Canadian) Sqdn supplied 12 aircraft for a 504 plane attack on Hannover. The bomber stream consisted of 282 Lancasters, 188 Halifaxes, 26 Wellingtons and 8 Mosquitoes. 27 (14 Lancasters and 13 Halifaxes - 5.4% of the force) were lost including two from 431 Sqdn - 'C' on which Mather was an air gunner and 'K' which both disappeared without further contact after take off.
Also killed on Mather's aircraft were Graham Beeken, Ivor Ramsay Chalmers, Harold Evan Evans, Walter Henry Hamil, Frederick William Stubbings and Stanley Herbert Walker.
According to Middlebrook and Everitt 'This was probably Hannover's worst attack of the war' with extensive fires, damage and 1,200 civilians killed and 3,345 wounded, 449 seriously with another 6,000 to 8,000 receiving eye injuries because of smoke and heat. (Bomber Command War Diaries p.p. 437-438)
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