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John Conway Bicknell 1921 - 1944

John Conway Bicknell was born in 1921, and died at age 22 years old on July 10, 1944. John Bicknell was buried at Standon (st. Mary) Churchyard East Of Church. in United Kingdom. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember John Conway Bicknell.

John Conway Bicknell
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1921
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July 10, 1944
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Updated: June 3, 2014
Biography ID: 163657820 What's this
John Conway Bicknell John Bicknell (1921 - 1944)
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John Conway Bicknell's History: circa 1921 - circa 1944

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  • Introduction

    John Bicknell DFC Sometime after December 1943 my mother, Dorothy Moram met a young flying officer with 21 Squadron after they had been moved to RAF Hunsdon, near Standon (in between Ware and Much Hadham, Hertfordshire) where they were equipped with the latest Mosqui-tos. The crews ( pilot and navigator) were hand picked to be trained with this specialist low flying squadron, that carried out one of the most daring raids of the War with its attack in February 1944 on Amiens Prison, called 'Operation Jericho' John Bicknell was a larger than life character, dashing and gallant, and he was so charis-matic that he swept my mother off her feet and their whirlwind romance took everyone in Standon, only a small village community, by complete surprise. He wore a luxuriant and long handlebar moustache and a red tie with his uniform and this breach of the rules was accepted as pilots in the RAF were allowed to get away with pretty much anything they pleased as they were the cavaliers of the sky and so hugely important to national survival. His brother, Richard, maintains that he was a pretty eccentric individual and a card-carrying member of the Communist Party and that his party trick was apparently eating beer glasses! April 17th 1944 , 21 Squadron moved to Thorney Island, Hampshire, and flew sorties in the Tactical Operations before D Day attaching marshalling yards and destroying the French railway system in Northern France. Then 21 Squadron was in action on and after D Day and the Squadron log book shows that Pilot Officer Bill Adams and Navigator John Bicknell flew ops as part of 'Operation Overlord' on July 3rd, 4th,7th & 8th July, seeing ac-tion in Northern France ahead of the advancing Allied Forces. 6th July "Weather stormy with lightning on the way to the target. 10 crews patrolled just ahead of the battle area and 6 crews patrolling further south in the Le Mans-Tours-Poitiers area." When not flying somehow he obtained petrol coupons to drive back to meet his fiancee at her home in Standon, and they were married on 24th June 1944, in St Mary’s Church, Standon Hertfordshire. The Squadron Log Book shows John Bicknell & Bill Adams (Mosquito NS 959) were shot down and killed in the early hours of 10th July 1944 : Flying Officer J.C. Bicknell was killed when the aircraft he was Navigator on, crashed on landing back at Thorney Island. The pilot of the aircraft was Flight Lieutenant W.B. Adams; the aircraft se-rial number was NS959. According to the records they had bombed a ferry whilst on patrol over France. The RAF diary shows that ops on the evening of 9th July lost one Mosquito : NS 959 Weather cloudy. Patrols were carried out in the Dourden-Tours-Poitiers area , Le Mans-Tours-Nioft and Le Mans-Angers-Nantes-La Roche areas. 15crews operated over these three areas. F/L Adams crashed on the aerodrome and both he and his navigator F/O Bicknell were killed. John Bicknell and Dorothy Moram were married for just 16 days. His body was brought back from Hampshire andy the funeral took place in the same church where just three weeks earlier they had been married. The grave is maintained but the British War Graves Commission. John Bicknell was born in 1921 in London; educated at King Edwards School, Witney, Sur-rey; home as of 1943 was given as Bristol. Commissioned from the ranks in 1942. P/O John Conway Bicknell, No.226 Squadron, awarded DFC 20 April 1943 by King George V1 at Buckingham Palace. No citation in London Gazette; the following from Air Ministry Bulletin: "Pilot Officer Bicknell is a cool, calculating navigator. He has taken part in a large number of sor-ties, including five sea searches, and has participated in several other operations. His work has been worthy of high praise".
  • 1921

    Birthday

    1921
    Birthdate
    Unknown
    Birthplace
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  • Ethnicity & Family History

    British

  • Nationality & Locations

    English

  • Early Life & Education

    King Edward's School Witney

  • Military Service

    Service number: 135156 Rank: Flying Officer Regiment: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Unit/ship/squadron: 21 Sqdn. Honors/awards: D F C
  • 07/10
    1944

    Death

    July 10, 1944
    Death date
    Unknown
    Cause of death
    Unknown
    Death location
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  • Gravesite & Burial

    mm/dd/yyyy
    Funeral date
    Standon (st. Mary) Churchyard East Of Church. in United Kingdom
    Burial location

  • Obituary

    Flying Officer J.C. Bicknell was killed when the aircraft he was Navigator on, crashed on landing back at Thorney Island. The pilot of the aircraft was Flight Lieutenant W.B. Adams; the aircraft se-rial number was NS959. According to the records they had bombed a ferry whilst on patrol over France.
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Did you know?
In 1921, in the year that John Conway Bicknell was born, in May, the Emergency Quota Act - or Emergency Immigration Act - was passed. The law restricted the number of immigrants to 357,000 per year. It also established an immigration quota in which only 3 per cent of the total population of any ethnic group already in the USA in 1910, could be admitted to America after 1921. Although the Act was supposed to be temporary, it stayed in effect until 1965.
Did you know?
In 1930, by the time he was merely 9 years old, on August 6th, N.Y. Supreme Court Judge Joseph Crater went through papers in his office, destroyed some of them, withdrew all his money from the bank - $5,150, sold his stock, met friends at a restaurant for dinner and disappeared after getting into a taxi (or walking down the street - his friends' testimony later changed). His disappearance was reported to the police on September 3rd - almost a month later. His wife didn't know what happened, his fellow Justices had no idea, and his mistresses (he had several) said that they didn't know. While his disappearance was front page news, his fate was never discovered and after 40 years the case was closed, still without knowing if Crater was dead or alive.
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Other Biographies

Other John Bicknell Biographies

Bicknell, John (Jan 20, 1623 - Jan 10, 1678) Bicknell, John (Died 1888) Bicknell, John (Born 1888) Bicknell, John (Oct 31, 1939 - Nov 12, 2002) Bicknell, John (Nov 24, 1900 - Nov 24, 1989) Bicknell, John (Aug 20, 1926 - Aug 8, 1999) Bicknell, John (Oct 1, 1886 - Dec 12, 1988) Bicknell, John (Jul 2, 1933 - Jul 15, 2000) Bicknell, John (Jan 24, 1902 - Feb 1974) Bicknell, John (Aug 4, 1879 - Aug 1966)
Bicknell, John (Nov 10, 1913 - Dec 6, 2000) Bicknell, John (Jan 21, 1920 - Dec 1985) Bicknell, John (May 6, 1920 - Oct 30, 2007) Bicknell, John (Nov 20, 1948 - Oct 31, 2009) Bicknell, John (Dec 19, 1915 - Apr 30, 1990) Bicknell, John Harry (Feb 8, 1941 - Jan 1987) Bicknell, John (May 11, 1896 - May 1981) Bicknell, John (Dec 14, 1917 - Jan 31, 2009) Bicknell, John (Jan 24, 1943 - Mar 5, 2008) Bicknell, John (Apr 22, 1907 - Oct 4, 2000)

Other Bicknell Family Biographies

Bicknell, John (Jun 8, 1938 - May 1986) Bicknell, Frank (Sep 13, 1938 - May 1, 2000) Bicknell, Alice (Oct 20, 1918 - May 1974) Bicknell, Elsie (Aug 18, 1914 - Jun 25, 2009) Bicknell, Thomas (Jul 3, 1917 - Dec 16, 1974) Bicknell, John (Jul 1, 1910 - Feb 12, 2005) Bicknell, William (Oct 28, 1921 - Nov 13, 1989) Bicknell, Laura (Jun 2, 1920 - Jul 3, 2008) Bicknell, Katherine (Mar 27, 1919 - May 1987) Bicknell, Lorita (Apr 11, 1892 - Sep 27, 1989)
Bicknell, Edith (Sep 10, 1882 - Apr 1972) Bicknell, Clinton (Feb 25, 1950 - Mar 19, 2001) Bicknell, Richard (Sep 18, 1916 - May 1978) Bicknell, Putnam (Sep 16, 1891 - May 1977) Bicknell, Bertha (Mar 30, 1888 - Dec 1962) Bicknell, Genevieve (Jun 7, 1907 - Jul 1969) Bicknell, Herbert (Jul 15, 1918 - Jun 25, 1998) Bicknell, Clinton (Jun 16, 1921 - Apr 26, 1999) Bicknell, Ralph (Jul 3, 1917 - Mar 1982) Bicknell, Jacwelyne (Mar 24, 1923 - Oct 30, 1991)
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