Richard Kerry

Kerry enlisted 12 September 1939. His civilian job had been a machinist and he started as a Flight Mechanic with the RAF. He spent a while with 22 Squadron and then attended several training deployments as an Air Gunner before joining 214 "Federated Malay States" Squadron on 1 April 1942. Kerry was aboard Stirling BF330 which took off from Methwold, at 21.33 on 18/8/1942, one of nine 214 Sqdn aircraft forming part of a 139 aircraft force attacking Osnabruck. 5 planes were lost (3.6%). 77 houses and 4 military buildings were destroyed and 125 other structures seriously damaged including the town’s main hospital, a paper mill and a copper wire factory. 7 people were killed and 15 injured. Stirling BF330 failed to return. Kerry’s six crew mates also perished. They were Sergeant A Fleming (RAAF), Sergeant W H Jones, Sergeant G W Pickworth, Sergeant A Gill (RNZAF), Sergeant A S Dewar and Pilot Officer K P Symes,. Richard Kerry is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial Panel 87.

Richard had two brothers, both killed during WW2. John Kerry was also an air gunner who died when his Stirling disintegrated during a training exercise over Devon in January 1944 (not with 214 Squadron). Joseph Kerry was killed in action with the Royal Artillery in Italy in December 1944.