292

-2- (centre aligned)
and thence on the 10th of the following month to No. 1476 Advanced Ships Recognition Flight, for a short course before posting on the 5th October, 1943 to No. 16 Operational Training Unit, Barford, Oxfordshire, where he crewed up and trained on Wellington Bomber aircraft. While with this Unit he particpated in an operational flight to the French target of Le Mans. Early in March, 1944 he was posted to No. 1661 Conversion Unit, Swinderby, Lincolnshire where he converted to stirling bomber aircraft and late in April he was posted to No. 5 Lancaster Finishing School Syerston, Nottinghamshire and on the completion of the course on the 27th of the same month he was posted to No. 106 Squadron, Methering, Lincolnshire. With this Squadron , as bomb aimer on Lancaster bomber aircraft he took part in a further 12 operational flights including the following targets, Mailey, Salbria, Paris, Maisy, all in France. a minelaying operation to the mouth of the Elbe River and the town of Gelsenkirchen both in Germany.

Flight Sergeant Keith was the bomb aimer of a Lancaster bomber aircraft which took off on the night of the 21/22nd June to attack the target of Gelsenkirchen and failed to return to its base and all the members of the crew including Flight Sergeant Keith were classified as missing. Later information was received through the International Red Cross Committee from a German source stating that Flight Sergeant Keith had lost his life on the 22nd June, 1944 and in consequence he was reclassified as missing believed killed in action. It was later stated from the same source that Flight Sergeant Keith had been laid to rest in the General Cemetery Costerwolds, three miles North East of Elburg, Holland. In due course his death was officially presumed to have occurred on the 22nd June, 1944.

Find a Grave link with photos of Flight Sergeant Keith: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13893571/david_robinson_neill-keith

5/3/13688 AS2
308 hours as aircrew

Mrs. M.I. Keith (M) (right aligned)
29 Ventnor Street, (right aligned)
Seatoun (right aligned)
WELLINGTON. (right aligned & underlined)