• Operation Chastise (Dambusters Raid)

Date of birth:

September 19th, 1922 (Portsmouth/Hampshire, United Kingdom)

Date of death:

May 16th, 1943

Buried on:

Commonwealth War Cemetery Reichswald Forest
Plot: 5. Row: C. Grave: 7.

Service number:

124881

Nationality:

British

Philip Sidney Burgess, born on 19 September 1922 in Portsmouth, lost both parents at a young age. At 4, he and his brother Carroll were adopted separately—Philip by his aunt Gertrude Lewis in Folkestone, and later by the Rowland family after her passing in 1938. He attended Harvey Grammar School in Folkestone.

Burgess joined the RAF after his 18th birthday, undergoing part of his training in Canada. Commissioned in May 1942 and promoted to Flying Officer shortly before joining 61 Squadron in January 1943, he started as a bomb aimer but transitioned to navigator. By March, Burgess had flown 17 operations.

At 617 Squadron, aircraft shortages caused unpredictable training schedules, but as a navigator, Burgess could make minor adjustments during flights.

Despite six weeks of intensive training, Norman Barlow, Philip Burgess, and their crew were killed instantly when their aircraft struck a pylon near Haldern, Germany.

At just 20 years old, Philip Burgess was likely the youngest officer on the Dams Raid. He was initially buried in Düsseldorf Cemetery, later reinterred in Reichswald Forest Cemetery. His brother Carroll Burgess, who served in the Royal Engineers, survived the war.

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• Photo 1: Findagrave
• - CWGC

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