No photograph on record yet.

Sidney Rowland Didsbury

Sergeant · 1535200 · United Kingdom

Died: 22 September 1943, aged 31
Fate: Killed in action

Biography

Sidney Rowland Didsbury was a Sergeant in the RAFVR, service number 1535200. CWGC records his death on 22 September 1943, aged 31, and his burial at Sage War Cemetery. The London Gazette records his Distinguished Flying Medal in October 1943, and RAFCommands links the award to No. 605 Squadron.

RAFweb gives the checked casualty context. It records Didsbury, DFM, as killed while flying Mosquito VI HJ790, code R, of No. 605 Squadron, which failed to return from a night-intruder sortie to Ardorf. The Gazette citation names him with No. 605 Squadron and records his work as a navigator, including many sorties and attacks on locomotives; the snippet also credits him with assisting in the destruction of enemy aircraft. Those award details are used because the Gazette PDF names Didsbury and the same service number. No family detail is added here because the checked sources did not provide a corroborated family note.

Burial / commemoration

Cemetery: Sage War Cemetery, Germany

Operations on this date. One raid in this archive was flown on the night of 22 September 1943: Hannover. (Cross-reference by date — not in itself confirmation this airman flew it.)

291 others in this archive died on 22 September →

Timeline

22 September 1943 Lost in de Havilland Mosquito HJ790
Other
22 September 1943 Died
aged 31
22 October 1943 Gazetted: DFM
Distinguished Flying Medal

Crew & operations

Flew as Other with No. 605 Squadron (County of Warwick).

Lost on HJ790 (de Havilland Mosquito) — Failed to return

Crew: Kenneth Fraser Dacre (Other)

Awards

Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) — gazetted 22 October 1943

1535200 Sergeant Sidney Rowland DIDSBURY, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 605 Squadron. As navigator, this airman has participated in many sorties during which he has assisted in the destruction of 4 enemy aircraft. In addition, Sergeant Didsbury has taken part in numerous attacks on locomotives, several of which have been hit with damaging effect. This airman has dis- played-great skill and devotion to duty.