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Reginald Toulson

Sergeant - Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserves - 50 Squadron - Service No. 1337153

Background Information

Born

4th June 1921

Academics

Rank

Sergeant - Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserves - 50 Squadron - Service No. 1337153

Campaigns

Died

26th July 1943 age 22

Reginald Toulson was born on 4th June 1921 in Gravesend, Kent. His father was George Thomas Toulson, a Mariner, and his mother was Anne (née Eves). The first school that he attended was Cecil Road School in Gravesend.
In 1932 Reginald Toulson joined The County School for Boys – now known as Gravesend Grammar School. The Head Master at that time was the Reverend Samuel Lister. The County School for Boys was located in Darnley Road, Gravesend close to the Railway Station (now the Victoria Centre for Education). In 1938 the School moved to brand new premises in Church Walk, Milton, Gravesend opposite to Milton Church.
The School’s Admission Register lists Reginald’s address as 42 Pelham Road South, Gravesend. Whilst at the School, Reginald was in Town House.
In 1937 Reginald left the School and started work at the Queensland Insurance Company. In World War Two he enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserves, Service Number 1337153. By 1943 he was a Sergeant in 50 Squadron.
50 Squadron was part of 5 Group Bomber Command, based at Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire. On 26th July 1943 Reginald Toulson’s aircraft, Lancaster B. Mk. III ED753 ‘VN-M’, failed to return from a raid on Essen. The aircraft had been shot down, five crew members were killed, including Reginald, three crew members survived and became Prisoners of War. Reginald Toulson was 22 years old. He is remembered at Uden War Cemetery in the Netherlands.

There are links below to Newspaper Clippings and Photographs from the Gravesend Grammar School Archives.
Below are links to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and a few other websites that might be of interest:
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2766120/toulson,-reginald/
https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/123584
https://wartimememoriesproject.com/ww2/airfields/airfield.php?pid=1839
http://www.rafcommands.com/database/wardead/details.php?qnum=116730

Uden War Cemetery, Netherlands