Bankole Vivour
Bankole Beresford Vivour (1920 – 1931 March 1944) was a Nigerian-born Royal Air Force bomb crew member.
Early life[edit]
Bankole Vivour was born to Garnet Vivour (son of William Vivour) and Sarah Rhodes de Vivour.[1] He lived with his family in Lagos.[citation needed]
Royal Air Force career[edit]
His passion for Africa and his knowledge of Germany's actions in Namibia inspired him to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II.[citation needed] He left Lagos to join the RAF at 22 years old.[citation needed] He lived in Liverpool[2] and he spent time at the Victoria League Club where he kept up with Nigerian current affairs and enjoyed the company of other west Africans.
World War II[edit]
He joined 156 (Pathfinder) Squadron at the height of the winter offensive of 1943-44.[3] On 24 March 1944 Vivour participated in Bomber Command's main thrust to destroy Berlin.
Death[edit]
He took part in the historic air battle in Nuremberg deep in the south of Germany. On 30 March 1944 his squadron took off from their base at RAF Upwood. German night fighters challenged and crushed the squadron's attacking force, resulting in 545 casualties including Sergeant Bankole Vivour. His bomber was shot down over Oberreißen by a night fighter, and all on board died. He was buried at Reichswald Forest War Cemetery Germany.[4][5]
References[edit]
- ↑ "156 Squadron RAF". 156 Squadron RAF. 156 Squadron RAF. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- ↑ Bowman, Martin (29 February 2016). Nuremberg: The Blackest Night in RAF History: 30/31 March 1944. Pen and Sword, Feb 29, 2016. ISBN 9781473852129. Search this book on
- ↑ Lambo, Roger (1994). Africans In Britain ; West Africans In The Royal Air Force ,1939-46. Frank Cass and Company Limited. p. 155. ISBN 0-7146-4571 0. Search this book on
- ↑ "VIVOUR, BANKOLE BERESFORD". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- ↑ "Vivour B". www.losses.internationalbcc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
This article "Bankole Vivour" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Bankole Vivour. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
