Leslie Amos Thorpe was the son of Amos and Rose Ethel Thorpe, of Altrincham, Cheshire.

He was with the RAF Volunteer Reserve and joined the Royal Air Force. He became a navigator on a Mosquito with 418 Squadron RCAF. His pilot was F/L Hugh Hope, from Edmonton, Canada.

On 22 February 1945 the Allied Air Forces launched Operation Clarion, a concerted effort to wipe out all forms of transport available to the Germans in 24 hours.

418 'City of Edmonton'
Squadron

Nearly 9,000 aircraft, operating from bases in England, France, Holland, Belgium and Italy attacked railways, bridges, ports and roads.

418 Squadron also participated in these attacks. In the morning of the 22nd, several Mosquitoes take off  from their base Hartford Bridge. F/L Hope and F/O Thorpe were tasked to attack any transportation target in North West Germany. The missions were successful, but costly. Dozens of Allies planes were shot down. 418 Squadron lost two planes. One, flown by the commander Wing Commander Wickett, is also shot down.

F/L Hope and F/O Thorpe are shot down near the Dutch-German border and crash near the town of Beerta at 13.15.

F/O Leslie Thorpe is buried in Nieuweschans General Cemetery, Plot IJ. Sec. B. Grave 15. He was 22.

(Picture by Wim Bastiaanse)

Nieuweschans, The Netherlands

See Also:
F/L Hugh Hope

Sources:
Gerrit Zwanenburg, En Toen Was Het Stil, Royal Dutch Air Force, ny

Acknowledgements:
Squadron crest (c) 418 Sqn RCAF Association

Directions to Nieuweschans General Cemetery

Posted 21 January 2005

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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