Richard Bolitho
Richard Bolitho was educated at Church Hill School, Kimberley and Heanor Secondary technical school. On leaving school, he worked at Beeston, Nottingham for Ericssons manfacturing and testing telephones.
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
Richard Bolitho was born in January 1920 at Londonderry. His parents, William and Jane Bolitho, moved to the UK mainland during the mid 1920s and were soon running a Nottingham hotel. Richard lodged with his aunt Emily (one of his father’s two sisters) first at 20, Main Street, Kimberley where she owned and operated a small dress making business and later at 12, James Street in the town when she changed from dress making to selling fruit and vegetables. Upon her death in 1937, Richard’s parents moved to Kimberley and took over Emily’s shop. William and Jane Bolitho returned to Portrush, Co. Antrim in Jane's native Northern Ireland after 1945.
REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY 21. E. 1. S
Richard Bolitho enlisted with the RAF in late December 1940, underwent basic training at 14 ITW a year later and trained as an air gunner at 9 Air Gunnery School Penrhos, West Wales, between June and August 1942.
Moving to 19 OTU at RAF Kinloss he crewed up with two Canadians, Al Garshowitz and Floyd Wile, and Don Hopkinson from Bolton. His first skipper was Maxwell Stephenson from Bishop Auckland, County Durham.
Transferred to 1654 HCU at RAF Wigsley, they were joined by Canadian gunner Frank Garbas and flight engineer John ‘Jock’ Kinnear from Scotland. When Stephenson was killed during a ‘Second Dickey’ observation operation on January 8th 1943, he was replaced by Flight Lieutenant William Astell DFC.
With 57 Sqdn, Bolitho and his crewmates flew nine combat operations during February and March 1943 to Lorient (twice), Milan, Bremen, Nuremburg, Cologne, Berlin, Hamburg and Essen.
Transferred to 617 Sqdn being newly formed to attack the Ruhr dams (Operation Chastise), Bolitho and his crewmates spent April and half of May training for this very dangerous low level over water mission.
They took off in ED864 AJ-B from Scampton at 21.59 on May 16th 1943 as part of the first wave of 19 Lancasters but never reached the dams. Near Borkem in rural Germany, they flew into the top of an electricity pylon, crashing in a nearby field. There were no survivors.
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Richard Bolitho and crewmates. Max Stephenson was killed on a 'Second Dickie' operation 8/1/1943
19 OTU RAF Kinloss in September 1942
Richard Bolitho's crash site
Photo: David Nunn
Jean Nunn placing a Kimberley-themed tribute on the grave of Richard Bolitho at Reichswald British War Cemetery, Germany, three miles from the Dutch frontier.
Photo: David Nunn