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JOST, Burton Norris Flight Lieutenant, No.419 Squadron, J7433 Distinguished Flying Cross RCAF Personnel Awards 1939-1949
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JOST, F/L Burton Norris (J7433) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.419 Squadron - Award effective 2 November 1942 as per London Gazette dated 6 November 1942 and AFRO 272/43 dated 19 February 1943. Born at Guysboro, Nova Scotia, 2 August 1911. Educated at Guysboro County Academy, 1916-1921, LeMarchant Street School, Halifax, 1921-1924, Morris Street School, Halifax, 1924-1925, Halifax County Academy, 1925-1928, Dalhousie University, 1928-1931 (BSc in Engineering and Science) and Pennsylvania State College, 1931-1934 (Mining Engineering). Considered to have been a scholar of some note. Employed as as surveyor for Geological Survey of Canada, one year as labourer for Delaware State Highway Department, mucker and machinist helper with Buffalo Ankerite, five years as a mining engoineer and finally a mine captain for Buffalo Ankerite Mines. Home in Dover, Delaware, U.S.A. Enlisted in North Bay, 20 December 1940. Posted next day to No.1 Manning Depot, Toronto. To No.1A Manning Depot, Picton, 7 January 1941. To No.1 Manning Depot again, 20 March 1941. To No.3 ITS, Victoriaville, 24 March 1941; graduated and promoted LAC, 20 April 1941; posted on 21 April 1941 to No.2 EFTS, Fort William; may have graduated 22 June 1941 but not posted to No.6 SFTS, Dunnville until 3 July 1941; graduated and commissioned, 13 September 1941. To Station Trenton, 15 September 1941. To ?Y? Depot, date uncertain. To RAF overseas, 27 September 1941. Taken on strength of No.3 PRC, Bournemouth, 13 October 1941. To No.12 OTU, 4 November 1941. To No.419 Squadron, 25 January 1942. Promoted Flying Officer, 10 April 1942. Promoted Flight Lieutenant, 1 September 1942. To No.22 OTU, 24 September 1942. To No.1659 Conversion Unit, 21 May 1943. Appointed Acting Squadron Leader, 16 June 1943 on reposting to No.419 Squadron. Killed in action, 24/25 June 1943 with No.419 Squadron (Halifax JD147). Flight Lieutenant Jost has displayed courage and determination in his operational sorties against the enemy and, while acting as flight commander, has set an inspiring example to those subordinate to him. NOTE: Public Records Office Air 2/9604 has recommendation dated 22 September 1942. The text adds nothing to the brief published citation; sorties (31, totalling 148 hours) as follows: 18 February 1942 - Nickels (France) 5 April 1942 - Cologne 8 April 1942 - Hamburg 10 April 1942 - Essen 12 April 1942 - Essen 14 April 1942 - Dortmund 22 April 1942 - Cologne 23 April 1942 - Rostock 16 May 1942 - Boulogne/Le Havre docks 18 May 1942 - St.Nazaire docks 30 May 1942 - Cologne 1 June 1942 - Essen 19 June 1942 - Emden 21 June 1942 - GARDENING, Borkum 22 June 1942 - Emden 25 June 1942 - Bremen 27 June 1942 - Bremen 29 June 1942 - Bremen 6 July 1942 - GARDENING, Lorient 8 July 1942 - Wilhelmshaven docks 13 July 1942 - Duisburg docks 21 July 1942 - Duisburg docks 23 July 1942 - Duisburg docks 25 July 1942 - Duisburg docks 26 July 1942 - Hamburg 28 July 1942 - Hamburg 29 July 1942 - Saarbrucken 31 July 1942 - Dusseldorf 6 August 1942 - Duisburg docks 9 August 1942 - Osnabruck 1 September 1942 - Saarbrucken Notes: Damaged Wellington Z1572, 26 July 1942, No.419 Squadron, daylight test flight. Port tyre blew on takeoff. He contacted tower and was advised by W/C John Fulton to land with undercarriage down using full starboard brake and little port engine. At the end of the landing run the aircraft ran over a small ridge, tail rose and port propellor struck the ground. Port main plane dragged. It was felt that he had made an excellent landing and but for the ridge the aircraft would have been undamaged. Slightly injured (temporary amnesia), 21 October 1942 when knocked down by a speeding ambulance at No.22 OTU. Assessments: On 22 December 1942 Wing Commander M.M. Fleming wrote a report for the period 26 January to 24 September 1942. He was rated extremely high in ?Zeal and energy in performance of duties? as well as ?Reliability and judgement.? Fleming wrote, ?In spite of a quiet manner, is highly efficient and extremely keen.? On 19 May 1943 he was assessed for work at No.22 OTU, 11 September 1942 to 21 May 1943. General assessment was ?Satisfactory? W/C A.W. Oldroyd wrote, ?A hard workinf, conscientious type of officer who has done a good job of work on this unit.? G/C R.B. Jordan added his remarks: ?A very pleasant officer who is a good pilot and should do well on his second tour of operations. His only fault is his untidy appearance.? The website ?Lost Bombers? has the following on his being shot shown. Halifax JD147, No.419 Squadron (VR-C), target Wuppertal, 24/25 June 1943. JD147 was one of three No.419 Squadron Halifaxes lost on this operation; the others were JD214 and JD258. Airborne at 2240 hours, 24 June 1943 from Middleton St.George. Shot down by a night-fighter (Ofw Reinhard Kollak, 111./NJG4) and crashed onto the Hammersveld near Herten (Limburg), 3 km southwest of Roermond, Holland. Crew were F/L B.N.Jost, DFC, RCAF (killed); Sergeant J.B.Johnson, RCAF, (killed); Sergeant E.B.Pope (POW), Flight Sergeant A.W.A.Bruce, RNZAF (killed); F/O R.O.E.Goodwin, RCAF (killed); Flight Sergeant L.Barker (POW); Sergeant R.E.Austin (POW). Sergeant Pope subsequently gave the following statement to Red Cross officials, 15 May 1944: Our machine was attacked by enemy fighter and set on fire. None of the crew were hit by gunfire. After a futile attempt to put the fire out, F/L Jost gave the orders to bale out, which were received by all members of the crew so far as I know. The plane was still flying at good altitude in westerly direction, and F/L Jost was still at his post when I baled out. I was second out of the plane which was by then a mass of flames. Other members of the crew corroborate this statement and can give no further details. Jost?s father, Dr. A.C. Jost of Guysborough, wrote frequently to inquire about details, and failing to get these from the RCAF, he contacted any and all whom he could locate who were involved. On 21 June 1945, he wrote to the Minister of National Defence for Air, his letter reading as follows: Since I could get no information about the loss of my son, Flight Lieuetnant Burton N. Jost, from the RCAF, and as I had occasion to doubt some of the Red Cross reports, I have been trying myself to see what I could find out about the incident. This is the story, and I have many reasons for believing that it quite fully represents the course of events. The crew of the plane, a Halifax bomber, consisted of my son, Goodwin and Johnson, all RCAF personnel with Pope, Barker, Austin and Bruce of the RAF. The target was Wapperthal [sic]. There was no opposition till about the time the target came into sight, when the plane was attacked by a night fighter from underneath. There is reason for believing that a fighter was destroyed, but not before its fire had set ablaze one engine and the fuselage. The fire speedily became serious and it was thought that the target could not be reached, so in the hope of being able to get either to England or to the sea, the plane was turned for home and the bombs dropped. The members of the crew were told that any who wished could bale out, but as Barker?s chute had been damaged, none of them thought it was advisable to do so, but all tried to extinguish the fire. It soon became evident that this could not be done, and the order was given to abandon the plane. The four RAF members of the crew did so, the plane being then at a good height. They landed between Benlo and Roermond, Barker quite badly injured and Pope also hurt. Barker was taken to a hospital in Roermond. Pope and Austin were quite soon found and captured by the Germans. Bruce escaped and after some weeks at large, was eventually found by the Germans in a French civil prison in Paris. These members of the crew knew little or nothing about what occurred after they baled out. One of them, however, was told by the Germans that three bodies which were unidentifiable had been found in the wreck of the plane where it had crashed near Roermond. The Red Cross reported four bodies, which was certainly incorrect. The crash took place within several kilometres of Roermond. And it is possible that thee was an error in respect of the identifiability of the bodies, for it seems as if that of one, Goodwin, was identified at once. With is much information, it is thought that it should not be difficult for your Research Division to fill in any blanks. I wish to know about the place of burial, with possibly a photograph of the grave. Also, I am endeavouring to find out if it is the custom to have a re-internment in a Canadian cemetery. I understand that later there was heavy fighting near Roermond, though the Canadians may not have been involved. I do not know how far from there a Canadian cemetery has been made.
JOST
Description (click to view)
BURTON NORRIS S/L(P) J7433 D.F.C. From Guysborough, Nova Scotia. Killed in Action Jun 25/43 age 31. #419 Moose Squadron (Moosa Aswayita). Halifax aircraft #JD 147 was turning toward the target Wuppertal, Germany when it was hit by cannon fire from a German night fighter aircraft. The Halifax caught fire, the bomb load was jettisoned and the aircraft was turned for home but the fire could not be extinguished so the crew was ordered to bail out. Sgt J.B. Johnson and F/O R.O. Goodwin were killed trying to extinguish the fire in the fuselage. Four RAF crew members were taken Prisoners of War. S/L Jost had completed one tour of operations and had begun his second tour at the time of his death. Squadron Leader Pilot Jost is buried in the Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Nijmegen, Holland.