Person    | Male  Died 4/5/1944

Former cadet of the Air Training Corps - 296th (Stoke Newington) Squadron. Died in WW2.

Sergeant Kenneth William Owen, aged 19, (Air Gunner) killed in bombing raid on Mailly, near Paris.

The above information is shown on a laminated plaque on one of the trees in Lavell Street, London, N16.

He was the son of William and Florence Owen. Married to his wife, Daphne Owen, they lived in Highbury. The 1945 electoral registers show a Daphne Owen living at 34 Mountgrove Road, London, N5.

He joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, service number 1397974, and was attached to No.463 (Royal Australian Air Force) Squadron. At 21.51 hours on 3 May 1944 he was aboard an Avro Lancaster III bomber aeroplane, Serial No.LM458, Code JO-G, when it took off from RAF Waddington, Cambridgeshire as one of the 346 aircraft used to attack the German panzer training centre at Mailly-le-Camp, Aube, France. (42 of the aircraft were lost). His aircraft was shot down on 4/5/1944 over Poivres, Aube, when making its final approach run and all seven crew were killed. They were buried together in Collective Grave 24-34 in Poivres Churchyard, Poivres, Aube, France.

2022: We thank John Jones who wrote to us: "Re: 463 Squadron Lancaster III LM458, JO-G. The crew were not all buried in Collective Grave 23-24:
Crew Pilot: A/420654 Fg Off Graham Fryer RAAF - Poivres Churchyard Collective Grave 24-34.
Flight Engineer: 1345468 Sgt Robert Johnstone Gracey - Poivres Churchyard Grave 18.
Navigator: 1483329Fg Off John Bernard Ward - Poivres Churchyard Collective Grave 24-34.
Bomb Aimer: 1463267 Flt Sgt Joseph Healy - Poivres Churchyard Joint Grave 20-21.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: 1335602 Flt Sgt Edwin Andrew Stone - Poivres Churchyard Collective Grave 24-34.
Air Gunner: A/421386 Fg Off Henry Edward Williams RAAF - Poivres Churchyard Grave 19.
Air Gunner: 1397974 Sgt Kenneth William Owen - Poivres Churchyard Collective Grave 24-34."