NORRIS, Raymond Geoffrey

Raymond, known as Geoff, aged just 21 of Gunville lost his life over France when flying with one of the youngest operational Lancaster crews ever to take to the sky during World War Two.

Orphaned at the age of nine, Geoff was raised at Ashen Grove Cottages, Gunville by his uncle & aunt, James & Ethel REYNOLDS. He worked at Fisk & Fisher at St Cross Mill, Newport, before volunteering for the RAF at the age of 18.

He was the wireless operator in the crew of Avro Lancaster LM121, LS-C, of XV (15) Sqn, based at RAF Mildenhall. The aircraft took off at just before midnight on the 31st of May 1944 to bomb railway yards at Trappes, France but was shot down by a German night fighter & crashed in a field near the village Lormaison about 30 miles NNW of Paris.

Astonishingly the average age of all seven crew members was just under 21 years & 4 months the youngest being 19 the oldest 26. All the crew were killed & they are buried, in a Collective Grave Plot, in the Marissel French National Cemetery, Oise, France. Marissel is an eastern suburb of Beauvais, a cathedral town between Rouen & Compiegne.