The Last Flight of Halifax JB837
25/26th May 1943
25/26th May 1943
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Name | Mario Noel LAGNA |
| Position | Air Gunner |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
| Unit | 7 Squadron |
| Age | 25 |
| Service No. | 910591 |
| Grave | Rheinberg War Cemetery, 4.D.23 |
Mario Noel Lagna was born on the 23rd. December 1917 in Hammersmith, London and was adopted by Fortunato Lagna and Ethel Ethell.
His adoptive mother, Ethel Ethell was born 23rd July 1887, and between 1891 and 1901 lived at 1 Stanley Road, Gillingham, Kent.
Mario Noel Lagna married Violet Winifred Elvin, and had one daughter, Valerie Anne Lagna, who was born 4th May 1939 in Lambeth, London. Noel was an Air Gunner flying Short Stirling 4-engined bombers of RAF 7 Squadron, based at Oakington, near Cambridge.
He was killed on the morning of 26th May 1943 on a bombing raid to Düsseldorf when his aircraft was brought down by the blast of Halifax JB837 flying nearby. He was buried in Koln-Sud (South Cologne) by the Germans, but transferred to Rheinberg War Cemetery (pictured below) in around 1948.
| Service Record | ||
MISSIONS WITH 214 SQUADRON | ||
| Date | Aircraft | Target |
| 18-19/01/1943 | Stirling Mk I W7577 | Sea Mining (?) | 3-4/02/1943 | Stirling Mk I R9163 | Hamburg | 4-5/02/1943 | Stirling Mk I R9323 | Turin | 13-14/02/1943 | Stirling Mk I R9323 | Lorient |
| 16-17/02/1943 | Stirling Mk I R9163 | Lorient | 17-18/02/1943 | Stirling EF335 | Sea Mining? |
| 19-20/02/1943 | Stirling EF335 | Wilhelmshaven | 19-20/02/1943 | Stirling Mk I R9323 | Nuremberg | 26-27/02/1943 | Stirling Mk I W7577 | Cologne |
MISSIONS WITH 7 SQUADRON | ||
| Date | Aircraft | Target |
| 22/3/43 | Stirling BF339 'B' | St Nazaire - Flak Damaged Slats. |
| 27/3/43 | Stirling Mk I R9199 MG-F | Air Sea Rescue. Failed Mission |
| 27/3/43 | Stirling Mk I R9199 MG-F | Berlin - Abandoned - Rear Turret Not Working. |
| 28/3/43 | Stirling Mk I R9199 MG-F | St Nazaire |
| 29/3/43 | Stirling Mk I R9199 MG-F | Berlin |
| 4/4/43 | Stirling Mk I R9156 MG-H | Kiel |
| 10/4/43 | Stirling Mk I R9156 MG-H | Frankfurt | /tr>
| 14/4/43 | Stirling EF361 'MG-B' | Stuttgart |
| 1/5/43 | EF361 'B.2' 'MG-B' | Bocholt |
| 13/5/43 | EF361 'B.2 'MG-B' | Bochum |
| 23/5/43 | Stirling Mk I EF361 'MG-B' | Dortmund |
| 25/5/43 | Stirling Mk I EF361 'MG-B' | Dusseldorf - Missing |