Canadian Forces

W/O Jan Valastin - the lone Canadian survivor

projectionist

Mission: Berlin, Germany Date: 30/31st January 1944 Unit: No. 467 Squadron R.A.A.F. Type: Lancaster I Serial: DV378 Coded: PO-C Location: Target area Pilot: F/O. Alexander Douglas Riley 3717 R.A.A.F. Age; 28, Killed Fl/Eng: Sgt. Sidney Webb Tupper 1607041 R.A.A.F. Killed Nav: Fl/Sgt. Norman William Allen 658419 R.A.F.V.R. Age; 23, Killed W/Op/Air/Gnr: P/O. John Nixon 171083 R.A.F.V.R. Killed Air/Bmr: W/O II Jan R Valastin R/017055 R.C.A.F. P.O.W. (Interned in camps L6/L4. P.O.W. No: 1189) Air/Gnr(Mid): W/O II. Clifford Stanley Baker R/146764 R.C.A.F. Age; 23, Killed Air/Gnr(Rear): Sgt. Fred Barrett 1516278 R.A.F.V.R.Age; 22, Killed REASON FOR LOSS: Lancaster DV378 took off from RAF Waddington at 1712 hours on the night of 30/31st January 1944 to bomb Berlin. Bomb load 1 x 4000lb, 64 x 30lb, 1200 x 4lb incendiaries. Nothing was heard from DV378 after take off and the aircraft did not return to base. Ten aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and one of these, DV378 failed to return. Post war it was established that the aircraft exploded following a direct hit from flak and crashed in the target area. W/O. Valastin became a P.O.W. and the remaining six crew members were killed. They are buried in the 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Berlin. In a later statement W/O. Valastin said “I was beside F/O. Riley in part of the aircraft which received direct fire from the enemy. I myself was hit but have no definite knowledge as to whether he was hit. A few seconds later the aircraft went into a spin. He was still in his position when I was preparing to bale out and when the aircraft exploded. I was informed two weeks later by an unknown German officer at Dulag Luft that F/O. Riley had been killed.” W/O II Jan R Valastin returned to the United Kingdom after the end of WW2 on the 20th April 1945 and then returned to Canada. He left the Canadian Armed forces on the 6th May 1946 and died on the 3rd February 1993. The above photo is of the crew of Lancaster DV378 leaving ME575 on an earlier mission. ME575 PO-G was also lost on a Berlin raid on the 27/28-01-44. (P/O. Grugeon and all his crew killed) Crew: Top to bottom and left to right: Air/Bmr W/O. Jan Valastin, Fl/Eng. Sgt. Sidney Tupper, W/Op/Air Gnr. P/O. John Nixon, Nav. Fl/Sgt. Norman Allen, Air/Gnr. Sgt. Fred Barrett, Air/Gnr. W/O. Clifford Baker, Pilot. F/O. Alexander Riley. Burial Details: Alexander Douglas Riley Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. Grave 7.K.9. Son of Arthur Cecil and Georgina, husband of M. E. Riley, of McMahon's Point, N.S.W. Sidney Webb Tupper Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. Grave 7.K.10. No further details as yet. Norman William Allen Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. Grave 7.K.11. Son of Walter William and Mabel Maud, of Hunstanton, Norfolk. John Nixon Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. Grave 7.K.8. No further details as yet. Clifford Stanley Baker Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. Grave 7.K.7. Son of Ernest H. Baker and Ophelia W. of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Fred Barrett Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. Grave 7.K.12. Son of Percy and Annie of Harehills, Leeds, Yorkshire.