Pilot Officer Sidney John Scott Wilde was from Rottingdean, Sussex. He born on 13 April 1910 and was the son of Sidney and Iris Scott Wilde. He worked for Farebrother Ellis, Chartered Surveyors in London before the war, as did his father.  John was married to Ila Wilde. They had a daughter named Susan. John's sister, Barbera died at an early age of pneumonia.

He was an air gunner on a Wellington bomber with 115 Squadron. Beside P/O Wilde, the crew consisted of

pilot, P/O Reginald Torrance Gerry, from Canada,
Co-pilot P/O Ronald William Pryor, Observer, Flight Sergeant Richard James Ruffell - Hazell, DFM,
wireless operator,
Sgt James Dempsey and
air gunner Sgt Jack Millen Croft.

 

 

   115 Squadron

In the night of 2/3 August 1940 they took off in Wellington IC R3202 (KO-J) from their base at Marham. Their mission was to bomb the oil refinery in Hamburg. The plane ditched at 0200 off the island of Rottumeroog. P/O Wilde's body was found at sea on 23 August 1940 and buried at Delfzijl General Cemetery.

Sgt Dempsey is also buried in Delfzijl. P/O Pryor, who was found three days earlier, is buried in Uithuizen. P/O Gerry washed ashore the same day P/O Wilde was found at sea. He is buried in Oldebroek General Cemetery.

John had a brother, David, who went into the Navy aged 16 and was killed on HMS Coventry off Tobruk in 1942.

P/O Wilde is also honored on the Rottingdean War Memorial.

(Picture by Wim Bastiaanse)

Delfzijl, The Netherlands

 

See Also:
PO Reginald Torrance Gerry
Fl Sgt Richard James Ruffell-Hazell
Sgt James Dempsey
Sgt Jack Millen Croft
PO Ronald William Pryor

Sources:
Mrs. Susan Bourchier
115 Squadron Roll Of Honour, Mr. Don Bruce, 2003

Directions to Delfzijl General Cemetery

Acknowledgements:
RAF Squadron crest © Crown Copyright is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office

If you have any suggestions, comments or additional information, please contact me.

This website is dedicated to the men and women who died and/or are buried in The Netherlands during World War II.

 

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