• Operation Chastise (Dambusters Raid)

Date of birth:

November 6th, 1921 (Newport/Fife, United Kingdom)

Date of death:

May 17th, 1943 (Borken, Germany)

Buried on:

Commonwealth War Cemetery Reichswald Forest
Plot: 21. Row: D. Grave: 14.

Service number:

635123

Nationality:

British

John Kinnear was born on 6 November 1921 in Newport, Fife, to William and Helen Kinnear. His mechanically-minded nature led him to work as a garage hand before joining the RAF at age 16 in 1939. After over three years on ground crew, he trained as a flight engineer at RAF St Athan, qualifying in late summer 1942.

After being posted to a conversion unit, Kinnear joined 57 Squadron at Scampton. Following several missions, he and his crew were transferred to the newly formed 617 Squadron.

During training before the raid, Kinnear and his crew spent their final leave at the home of rear gunner Richard Bolitho's family near Nottingham. Their mission ended tragically just after midnight when their aircraft hit a pylon near Marbeck, exploding on impact. Initially buried in Borken's City Cemetery, Kinnear and his comrades were reinterred post-war at the Reichswald Forest Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery.

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• Photo 1: Findagrave
• - CWGC
  - Dambusters

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