Rachel
8/25/2026 10:27:34 AM
4 mins read
The names of thousands of airmen and women will be added to the Losses Database at the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) in Lincoln next month.
A total of 12,500 Coastal Command losses will be added on Tuesday 1st September, creating the first truly comprehensive record of the men and women who lost their lives while serving with the RAF’s so-called ‘Cinderella Service’.
Coastal Command was often referred to as the ‘Cinderella Service’ because it was constantly overlooked, underfunded and forced into the background by the enormity of Bomber Command and the glamour of Fighter Command.
The Losses Database is an online resource and virtual memorial where the IBCC records all those who paid the ultimate price in the bombing war.
This latest addition will bring the total number of names to over 80,000, and each one has a wealth of information such as service details and biographical material included on the highly searchable and free-to-use database.
The histories of Bomber Command and Coastal Command are deeply intertwined. Squadrons transferred between the two Commands, aircrew served in both, and operations sometimes overlapped.
Whereas Bomber Command’s remit was to take the war into enemy territory, Coastal Command was responsible for keeping the sea lanes of our island nation safe from U-boats, for escorting Allied shipping convoys of troops, food and munitions, and for offensive operations against the enemy’s surface fleet.
It also conducted long-range surveillance and photo reconnaissance.
Dave Gilbert is an IBCC Trustee and has been the centre’s Losses Archivist for more than 13 years. He has led the research and development of the Losses Database throughout that time and explains why this latest addition is so important.
“If we are to understand the complete story of the bombing war – and more importantly the people who fought it – we cannot view Bomber Command in isolation.
“Using the Coastal Command’s existing Book of Remembrance as a foundation, I have identified more than 2,000 additional Coastal Command losses not previously recorded, bringing the total to more than 12,500. This work occupied the entirety of 2025 for me, and I have spent over 1,000 voluntary hours on it so far.
“For each person I have added a wealth of information, including their next of kin, their ages, their home towns and myriad other details, making each record comparable with those of the 58,000 Bomber Command losses.
“The addition of these 12,500 records means that families, researchers and the wider public can now discover the individual stories behind the names and better understand the lives of those who served with Coastal Command. They can also add information and photographs, allowing the IBCC to paint an ever-richer picture of the lives they lived and the sacrifices they made.
For Coastal Command, it was often an isolated and lonely war. More than half of those who lost their lives with Coastal Command have no known grave, an inevitable consequence of a war fought predominantly over the seas and oceans.
“Their role lacked the headline-grabbing drama of the other Commands, but in reality, it kept the war machine running and put food on the tables of our nation, making its role every bit as vital.
“Until now, the comparison has perhaps been an accurate one, but the IBCC is determined that Cinderella should go to the ball. Today that aspiration becomes a reality.”
Dave, who has contributed more than 16,000 voluntary hours creating the Losses Database, added: “Any major roll-out in the expansion of the Losses Database is a bittersweet experience for me.
“Of course, it’s always satisfying to see a major piece of work come to fruition, but behind every statistic there are men and women whose lives were cut tragically short and families whose lives were forever changed.
“Their stories never leave you, and those stories are what the IBCC exists to tell. To help preserve and share those stories is the greatest privilege I could ever have been given, and one I never take for granted.”
The President of the Coastal Command Association (CCA), now retired Air Commodore A E Neal AFC RAF, said: “Until now, the names of those who made the ultimate sacrifice could only be viewed within the Coastal Command Book of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey.
“We are therefore absolutely delighted that, through the dedication of volunteer members of the association working alongside the team at the International Bomber Command Centre, these names will be included within the IBCC’s digital Losses Database.
“From 1st September the sacrifice of Coastal Command personnel will be able to be searched, explored and remembered by families, researchers and future generations at any time, from anywhere in the world.”
The IBCC hopes to erect memorial walls for all 12,500 Coastal Command losses at the centre, subject to securing the funding, along with interpretation boards.
Nicky van der Drift OBE, Chief Executive of the IBCC, said: “This will provide a huge additional resource not only for military historians and visitors to our site, but also for family history websites such as Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com and The Genealogist, all of which link to our site.”
To find out more about the International Bomber Command Centre or upcoming events, please visit internationalbcc.co.uk
Interview / photograph opportunity: IBCC Trustee and Losses Archivist Dave Gilbert, Chairman of the CCA Hector Hillman and committee members Sqn Ldr (Ret) Bob Hall and Eddie Pritchard, will be at the IBCC on Canwick Avenue in Lincoln for the launch of the Coastal Command Losses Database at 2.30pm on Tuesday 1st September. To confirm your attendance please email kate@weareshootingstar.co.uk or call 07733 230293.
