Desmond Kelly "Battle of the Ruhr"

Flight Sergeant DESMOND HENRY RUSSELL KELLY

Service Number: 701907

Navigator Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 77 Squadron.

Died 23 June 1943 Age 25 years

Flight Sergeant Kelly is buried at Bergen General Cemetery in the Netherlands, Plot 2, Row C, Grave 12

Son of Samuel O'Dowd Russell Kelly and Florence Edith Kelly of Brighton, Sussex. 

His brother Charles lived at 3 Ventnor Drive, Totteridge.

Kelly's service with 77 Squadron operating under 4 Group of Bomber Command placed him at RAF Elvington in Yorkshire, where his final mission would depart. During this period, 77 Squadron was engaged in increasingly dangerous operations as part of the Allied bombing campaign against Germany.

On the night of June 22-23, 1943, Flight Sergeant Kelly's aircraft, a Handley Page Halifax II bomber (serial number JD213, squadron marking KN-V), took off from RAF Elvington at 23:29 hours. The mission was part of Operation Pointblank, specifically targeting Mülheim in Germany's industrial Ruhr region. This raid involved 557 aircraft, with 35 (6.3% of the force) lost during the operation.

The exact circumstances of their loss remain undetermined in the historical record, with sources only noting that the cause of the aircraft's downing was not established. What is known is that the plane failed to return from the operation.

The Mülheim raid was part of the Battle of the Ruhr, one of the most costly periods for 77 Squadron and Bomber Command. During this campaign, the squadron experienced devastating losses:

"With 16 aircraft missing on these five consecutive raids, the average loss rate for the squadron was 20.7%. The estimated probability of a crew participating in all five raids and surviving them was only 31%, approximately 1 in 3. In these five raids, the squadron's casualties were 87 aircrew killed and 26 taken POW, a total of 113."

This period represented what has been described as "77 Squadron's worst yet undoubtedly greatest year."  The heavy losses eventually led Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris to withdraw Halifax II and V aircraft from operations against German targets.

Final Resting Place and Memorials

In addition to his grave, Kelly is also commemorated at:

• Holy Trinity Church, Elvington, North Yorkshire (Stained Glass Window & Roll of Honour)

• Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire (Marble Column with Metal Sculpture and Plaques)1

• The International Bomber Command Centre Memorial, Panel 192, Phase 2