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| Name | BUTTERWORTH |
| First names | John |
| Rank | Sgt |
| Service | RAF |
| Service number | 747859 |
| Crew position | Air Observer |
| Age | 24 |
| Date of death | 11/02/41 |
| Cemetery | All Saints Churchyard Elton (Bury) Lancashire |
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| 10/11 February, 1941; HANNOVER:
Bomber Command dispatched 222 aircraft against industrial targets in Hannover. 49 Squadron had 12 aircraft airborne, following a briefing in which the Scampton Intelligence Officer had exhorted crews to cause 'maximum destruction' of their specified target. A night fighter was yet to add to 49's misery this night, but this time it was much nearer to home. A German intruder aircraft being flown by Oberleutnant Kurt Herrman and crew, was 'prospecting' in the Scampton area as Sgt Bates (AD719) and crew awaited permission to land. A burst of fire soon set their Hampden alight; Sgt's Bates and Blower managed to escape by parachute before the aircraft crashed to the ground near Langworth. Unfortunately, the two remaining members of the crew both perished. Hampden AD719 Sgt G.M. Bates Pilot (Survived) Sgt J. Butterworth A/OB (Killed) Sgt D.A. Caldwell W/AG (Killed) Sgt Blower (Survived) |
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