207 Squadron RAF History
F/Sgt Raymond J Cross & Sgt Walter Upsall
Boston, Lincolnshire War Memorial
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Raymond Jack CROSSCommemorated on the Boston, Lincolnshire War Memorial and on War Memorials at Boston Grammar School and Thomas Cowley High School, Donington, Lincolnshire. Son of Leslie Vincent and Nellie May Cross of Frampton House, 48 Tower Road, Boston. Flight Sergeant (sn 1451670) 207 Squadron RAF.
Lancaster ND575 EM-M (pilot P/O Cyril Bell). Died 4th May
1944, aged 26 years. |
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Raymond Jack Cross was born on May 2nd 1918. His father was Inspector of Police at Scunthorpe and Raymond attended Scunthorpe County School. On the appointment of his father to a similar post at Donington, the family moved and Raymond began at Donington Grammar School (now Thomas Crowley High School) on 23rd September 1930, attending as a day boy. He remained there until 28th July 1932, by which time his father had transferred to Boston, about 12 miles away. So Raymond was transferred also, this time to Boston Grammar School, which he entered on September 17th 1932. He left less than 2 years later, on July 31st 1934, to take up a post of a clerk with Boston Electrical Company.
He left this firm to join the Lincolnshire Constabulary in 1937 and went for training to Wakefield Police School. On completion, Raymond returned to Lincolnshire and was stationed, at various times, at Cleethorpes, Skegness and Billinghay. He joined the RAF in October 1941 and, after preliminary training at home, went to navigation schools in the USA and Canada.
He returned to England in January 1943 and was posted to Bomber Command and to Lancasters, flying from Lincolnshire. He had made 20 operational flights when he took part in the raid from which he did not return. His aircraft left Spilsby at 21:15 on the night of May 3rd, 1944 to bomb the military camp at Mailly-le-Camp in France. He was homeward bound when he was shot down by a German night fighter and crashed 1 km east of Donnemarie-Dontilly.
Walter UPSALLCommemorated on the Boston, Lincolnshire, War Memorial. Son of William H and Susan Upsall of 4, School Street, Boston. Sergeant (sn 1622713) 207 Squadron RAF.
Lancaster LM526 EM-R (pilot F/Lt Muir). |
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Walter Upsall was born on June 18th 1923 and was educated at Park Board School. He left that school on July 29th, 1937 and was employed by the firm of Simons, Ingamells and Young, auctioneers, of 26 Wide Bargate, Boston. He was a keen swimmer and footballer.
Walter joined the RAF in 1942 and qualified as an Air Gunner. He had a home leave and he had only returned to duty 24 hours before his parents received the news that he was missing, believed killed, in a raid on the German ball-bearing factory at Schweinfurt.
He had taken off in a Lancaster bomber at 21:25hrs from Spilsby and crashed at Forbach, in France, a few miles south-west of Saarbrucken. Walter’s plane was one of 21 lost on this raid.
Source
A TOWN REMEMBERS those commemorated on the BOSTON WAR MEMORIAL - Volume 2: The Second World War by William M HUNT. Pub.2001 ISBN 1 902882 46 6
images: Raymond Glynne-Owen
last updated 22 Apr 2006: 23 Dec 13: if you have information on Richard
Cross or Walter Upsall please contact the website editor