Battle Of Heligoland Bight remembered

Wed 18 December 2019

Nicky King, Kent Cooper and Ray West at the memorial service

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On 18 December 2019, a memorial service was held at the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Air Battle of Heligoland Bight. This was the first named air battle of Word War II and took place on 18 December 1939. Twenty four RAF Wellington bombers were tasked with attacking shipping in the Heligoland Bight, in the north of Germany. Disastrously, 12 aircraft were shot down within an hour. Fifty-seven RAF aircrew and two German airmen lost their lives.

Two Wellington bombers, returning from the battle, came down off the Norfolk coast and the lifeboats from Wells, Cromer and Sheringham were launched to search for survivors without success. 

Wells lifeboat was invited to take part in the memorial service and was represented by Coxswain Nicky King, Ray West, who is Deputy Head Launcher and station archivist, as well as crew member Kent Cooper.  Kent's grandfather, William Cooper, was one of the crew that took part in the search on Wells lifeboat.

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