342

F/O DANCE:

2.

Flying Officer Dance arrived at No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth in December, 1942, and was posted on the 19th January, 1943 to No. 11 Operational Training Unit, Westcott, Buckinghamshire, where he crewed up and completed his training on Anson and Wellington bomber aircraft.

On the 22nd April he proceeded to No. 1651 Conversion Unit, Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, where he converted to Stirling bomber aircraft and on the 14th July, 1943 he was posted to No. 75 (N.Z.) Squadron, Mepal, Cambridgeshire. With this squadron he took part in a number of operational flights the targets including Berlin (2) Hamburg (3), Essen, Ramscheid, Peenemunde, Nuremburg, Hanover, Manheim and Bremen in Germany and Boulogne and Modane in France. He also carried out mine laying operations off the Fusian Islands, Holland and The Ile de Re - France.

On the 4th November, 1943, Flying Officer Dance was Air Bomber of a Stirling aircraft which took off on mine laying operations in the Baltic sea and failed to return to its base. This was his 17th operational flight. All members of the crew including F/O Dance were reported missing. His death was subsequently presumed to have occured on that date.

5/2/10288 AS2
323 hours as Air Bomber
75 hours as Pilot

Mr. A.W. Dance (F)
Old Road,
Omaka R.D.,
BLENHEIM.