No.1180657, Flight Sergeant, Raymond Robert Seppings ROLFE
Aged 23
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Born in 1920 (3rd qtr Hendon 3a:717) son of Seppings and Alice Mary ROLFE(née PAYNE ).His father was a commercial traveller in 1944
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161 Squadron Handley Page Halifax DG244 c/s MA-Y took off from RAF Tempsford on the night of 19th March 1943 on Special Intelligence Service Operation Vega 3 for Norway and was lost without trace.
The crew were:-Pilot - F/Off H L Wynne DFC , 2nd pilot - F/Sgt R R S Rolfe, Navigator - F/Off W H Franklin DFC, Air Gunner - P.Off T Wv Challoner DFC,
Flt Engineer - Sgt T B Colwell, Air Gunner - Sgt E W Foster, Obs/Bomb Aimer - Sgt J C Insole . It is believed they were to drop supplies to Norwegian resistance in the region of Nottoden where there was a heavy water plant. There may have been an agent on board to drop near Larvik. Nothing was heard from the resistance group so it is assumed the aircraft was lost before completing its mission. Possibly shot down by Oblt Werbes SIEDEL of 10/NG3 who claimed an aircrsft shot down at 23:30 on 19th march 30 km NW of Skagen. RAF Tempsford was used for many clandestine operations. As such the crews of each aircraft were not always the same for each mission. 161 Squadron was a highly secretive squadron formed at Newmarket in February 1942 initially using Lysanders, Whitley's and Wellingtons performing missions for S.O.E and S.I.S. Dropping and collecting secret agents and equipment into and from occupied Europe.
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