Richard Algernon Dacre TREVOR-ROPER was born in the June quarter of 1915, in the Isle of Wight Registration District (Inferred County: Hampshire, Vol: 2b Page: 1009) the son of Charles Cadwaladr & Gertrude Alice Trevor-Roper (nee Clabby).
Charles Cadwaladr & Gertrude Alice Trevor-Roper (nee Clabby) married on the 8th of April 1913 in the Edmonton Registration District (Edmonton Vol. 3a Page 723).
When WW1 was declared Richard’s father, Charles Cadwaladr and his uncle Geoffrey, both enlisted in 1914 and both died within weeks of each other in 1917, please click on the links to read their stories, they are remembered on Mold & Caergwrle WW1 War Memorials and also the West Berkshire War Memorial, please click on that link as well.
http://westberkshirewarmemorials.org.uk/texts/stories/WBP01060S.php
According to his father’s entry in the De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour, Richard had two siblings, who are mentioned on their father’s Roll of Honour – Elizabeth Alice born 7th of January 1914 and Anne, born on the 10th of September 1916, so Richard was the only son.
The 1921 census, which was taken on the 19th of June 1921, 4 years after the loss of Richard Allgernon Dacre Trevor-Roper’s father, Charles Cadwaladr Trevor-Roper, the rest of the family are seen living at 6, Templeton Place, Earls Court, London, S.W. 5. Gertrude Alice Trevor-Roper was head of the household, 30 years old and widowed, born in Deccan, India. She is doing ‘Home Duties’ at home. Elizabeth Alice Trevor-Roper was 7 years and 5 months old and born in Newbury, Berkshire. Richard Dacre Trevor-Roper was 6 years and 1 month old, born in Shanklin, Isle of Wight. Anne Trevor-Roper was 4 years and 9 months old, born in Newbury, Berkshire. A visitor, Winifred Trevor-Roper was 44 years and 11 months old, single, and born in Mold, Flintshire, she had no occupation. There was a servant, Kate Burmingham, age 39 years and 7 months old, married, born in Wooburn, Buckinghamshire, she was a Domestic Servant. Another visitor, Charles William Burmingham was 51 years and 10 months old, born in Elstead, Surrey and a Painter and House Decorator for F. Parsonage.
According to the Newspaper cutting below, Richard was educated at the Oriel House school in St. Asaph, now a hotel – Oriel Hotel: –
Oriel Hotel History – Oriel dates to 1780, originally having been a private country home. For a greater part of 1900’s Oriel was a boy’s boarding school.
The original name of the house was Bryn Elwy, which was changed to Oriel after Oriel College Oxford, which was attended by the founding headmaster of the boys’ school.
The Seddon family bought the hotel in 1998 and ran it as a hotel for 20 years.
Richard then went on to Wellington College, please read the newspaper cutting below which gives a potted history, many thanks to the author.
Richard did meet and marry Patricia Audrey Edwards in the September quarter of 1942 in Nottingham (Nottingham Vol. 7b Page 712).
In May 1943, Lieutenant Trevor-Roper served as the rear gunner in the lead aircraft piloted by Guy Gibson in the “Dam Busters” raid. https://dambustersblog.com/2013/04/14/dambuster-of-the-day-no-7-richard-trevor-roper/
Website about Richard and the Dambusters.
PHOTO – Richard appears here setting off in G-George for the Dams Raid-Guy Gibson is seen entering the Lancaster. Richard is at far left.
Added by: geoffrey gillon on 24 Aug 2012 (In Folder)
On the Operational Reports for March, it shows previous flights taken by the Richard:-
Page 7 15th March 1944 on ND.415 (Z) on Raid to Stuttgart with the crew that he was with when he lost his life on the 31st March 1944, and also on Page 12 on the 22/23rd March 1944 on ND.739 (E) but a different crew, in fact with Richard was Fred Coleville on Raid to Frankfurt. They were:- Cadman A R (F/L); Colville F (F/O); Currie E J (F/O); Lane R M (Sgt); McFadden A S (F/L) and Rowlands D H (F/L).
https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/228484/ tells us that on the 31st March 1944, they were flying an Avro Lancaster III (ND.390 (S) taking off at 22.15 from Bourn (Cambridgeshire) and the operational Report tells us that they were “Missing.”
The above website tells us what happened: –
LAST OPERATION INFORMATION
Start Date 30-03-1944
End Date 30-03-1944
Takeoff Station Bourn*
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Bourn
Day/Night Raid Night
Operation Nuremberg.
795 aircraft, 95 losses (11.9%)- the highest of any raid. High-cloud was expected to offer protection to the bomber stream but the target would be clear for the bombing run. A Mosquito meteorological flight had predicted that in fact that would not be the case, but the raid went ahead anyway. The German controller ignored the diversionary raids and had his fighters circling close to the route of the main force, using Tame Boar tactics. Consequently, the fighters engaged the bombers before they reached the Belgian border. The clear conditions allowed the fighters to pick off bombers at will with 82 of the 95 bombers being Lost on the outbound leg. Strong winds meant that some of the bombers went off the intended route and as a consequence many bombed Schweinfurt in error, some 50 miles from Nuremberg. The problem as exacerbated by two PFF aircraft dropping markers in Schweinfurt. Overall, the raid was a failure and little damage was caused.
Reason for Loss Attacked by a night-fighter (Me 100) while flying east of the prescribed route and crashed at Ahorn in the SW suburbs of Coburg, Germany.
The crew were initially buried probably near where they crashed, the CWGC Concentration Report form tells us this was Ahorn (Coburg) Civ. Cem, map reference:- T5,299868, on the 31st March 1944 and then reburied on the 12th September 1947 in the Cemetery they now rest in.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18605059/richard-algernon_dacre-trevor-roper
47354 Flight Lieutenant (Air Gnr.) RICHARD DACRE Trevor-Roper
D F C, D F M
97 Sqdn Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Died aged 28 years
Son of Charles Cadwaladr Trevor-Roper (Find A Grave Memorial# 12161093) and Gertrude Alice Trevor-Roper; husband of Patricia Audry Trevor-Roper, of West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire.
He was KIA on 31 March 1944 along with all the crew of 97th Squadron’s Avro Lancaster ND390. Lieut. Trevor-Roper was the rear gunner. The aircraft was shot down by German fighter pilot Major Martin Drewes, over Ahorn, near Coburg Germany. Efforts are currently underway to erect a monument at the crash site (Autumn 2011).
All seven crew members are buried at Dürnbach.
His wife remarried, I believe, in the December quarter of 1949 at Basford, Nottinghamshire to Frank Marvin (Nottingham Vol. 3c Page 182).
TREVOR-ROPER Richard Dacre, D.F.C.; D.F.M. of Lamcote House, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire died 31st March 1944 on war service. Administration Llandudno 26th January 1946 to Patricia Audrey TREVOR-ROPER widow & Richard Barrie EDWARDS company director.
Richard’s family had paid a high price in both WW1 & WW2, he lost his father and Uncle and then he laid down his life for us all. He must be remembered.
More photographs in the National Portrait Gallery – https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw185334/Dambusters?LinkID=mp102224&role=sit&rNo=0
