Sergeant James Roy Walker

* 30 August 1922 Stanton-by Dale

† 21 December 1942 Elst UT

Son of William and Beatrice Walker of Fremington, Devon

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Service nr. 1119267

A lot of searching on the internet did not bring any success.We were searching in Fremington, Devon and even in Fremington Yorkshire but it appeared that was wrong.

But thanks to Keath Beattie, Joe Donaghy, Graham Moore, Lauren Harris (Devon Live) and Di Ablewhite we came in contact with Mandy Widmann, first cousin once removed.Then it became clear that James Roy Walker was born in Stanton-by-Dale.

William Walker and Beatrice Robinson got married on September 1, 1919 in Ashton under Lyne, Lancashire.

James Roy Walker is mentioned on the website Trafford War Dead.

Apparently he went to Stretford Grammar School.

According to the document on the left he lived at 16 Arlington Road, Stretford (Manchester).

The house still exists and can be found on Google Streetview.

On board HMS California he arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on June 25, 1941.

A long journey followed: from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Arcadia, Florida, crossing the border between Canada and the United States in Detroit, Michigan on July 15, 1941. A distance of more than 4000 kms., 2600 miles.

A photo of British airmen at the Embry-Riddle Company.

On July 22, 1942, Walker was posted from Nr. 19 Operational Training Unit at RAF Kinloss to No. 1654 Conversion Unit at RAF Wigsley. We have not been able to find anything about the period between his training in the United States and No. 19 Operational Training Unit at RAF Kinloss. Kinloss is in the north of Scotland, near Inverness.

August 27, 1942, his training was completed and he was posted to No. 207 Squadron.

Note the names of the "Walker crew" : Hurley, Bate, Hingley(not Kingley), Lodge and Boardman.

His first operational flight was on September 1, 1942. His last, fatal, operational flight on December 21, 1942. In total he was on 20 operations, see the list at the left.

November 6/7 1942 James Roy Walker was on a mission to Genoa.

Harold Bate and Peter Hind were on this mission too. Actually this was the complete "Walker crew".

Hurley, Hingley, Boardman and Lodge were killed in action on December 12, 1942 on a mission to Turin.

In 2019 we met Mandy Widmann. She confirmed the family was living somewhere near Exmoor so Fremington is probably correct. She also told us Roy was an only child and his father worked in the government, closely to Churchill.