George Brick
George Brick was born in either 1923 or 1924 to John Heath Brick and Sarah Boston Brick. John was born in Red Street, Chesterton and Sarah in Tuebrook, Liverpool. They had at least 2 other sons and 3 daughters and one child who did not live through childhood. Sarah had George when she was around 48 or 49 years old! The family lived at 98 Sparrow Terrace Porthill and probably had done so since John and Sarah’s marriage in 1903. John was (ironically) a bricklayer and Sarah had been a nurse.
All we know of his civilian life was he was in the Scouts 1 and that he’d worked for the Co-operative Dairy in Sneyd Green 2.
George joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and served as 1580102 Sergeant George Brick in 101 Squadron, Bomber Command.
Sergeant George Brick 3
Sadly, George and his crew only flew one operational mission. On Tuesday 4th May 1943, they were sent on a raid to Dortmund from their base at RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor in Yorkshire. Their aircraft was Lancaster bomber number W4784 which had only flown one other operational mission that February. It had only 12 flying hours and is presumed it wasn’t fit for operational flying after its first raid. George was probably the mid-upper gunner on the Lancaster. They took off from the airfield at 22.05 and were lost without trace and it is possible they crashed over Holland. The squadron sent eighteen aircraft on the raid that night and two (including George’s) did not return. George’s crew consisted of – Sgt W.Nicholson, Sgt B.W.Squires, F/O N.Ainsworth, F/O H.K.Wainer, Sgt G.Eastwood, Sgt G.Brick & Sgt D.W.Rowley. 4
The Lancaster was shot down by night fighter pilot Oberfeldwebel Fritz Kruse of the 3./NJG 1, flying a Bf 110 G-4 from Venlo airfield. 5 & 6
Fritz Kruse was killed two weeks later when landing his aircraft. 7 & 8 Fritz’s grave can be seen on the findagrave.com website.
George has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial to the men of the RAF and in the Book of Remembrance in St. Andrews Church.
Link to his CWGC commemoration.
George Brick commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial 9
- from a conversation with ex Scout Frank Simpson ↩
- ‘The Wolstanton Roll of Honour’ by Geoff Mayer and Chris Sheldon ↩
- Photo from the Sentinel courtesy of Geoff Mayer ↩
- www.lostaircraft.com ↩
- Aviation Safety Network ↩
- Dutch Airwar Study Group ↩
- Aviation Study Network ↩
- Dutch Airwar Study Group ↩
- Runnymede photo courtesy of British War Graves ↩