Eric Alfred Richard Preston
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Son of Richard Thomas Preston and Emily Preston, of Llanfairfechan, Caernarvonshire; husband of Vera Mary Preston.
EINDHOVEN (WOENSEL) GENERAL CEMETERY Plot EE. Grave 96.
Monchengladbach
9 207 Sqdn crews from Langar took off between 23.29 and 23.55 on 31/8/1943,part of a 138 aircraft 5 Group contribution to attack the twin towns of Monchengladbach and Rheydt in the southern Ruhr.
The Langar aircraft bombed Monchengladbach between 02.02 and 02.31 at 17,500 to 19,500 feet. 2,300 buildings were destroyed, 171, of them industrial and 869 residential. The raid killed 253 people and injured 2,152 (combined totals for both towns).
25 aircraft were lost (3.8% of the attacking force) from across 5 Group including W4120 EM-L from Langar, shot down on the way home by Ofw Macke of 9./NJG4. It crashed 10 miles south east of Eindhoven at 03.40. There were six fatalities: J Hickling (P), EAR Preston (FE), M Atkinson (N), T Barnett (W/Op), TG Moore (AG), HA Queen (AG). The Canadian Herbert Kenneth Scott (AB) survived to become a pow.
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