LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer John Paterson WHITE
Service No: 424497
Born: Wigan, England, 18 April 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 12 September 1942 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 227 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Balderton
Died: Air Operations: (No. 227 Squadron Lancaster aircraft PB646), Germany, 6 December 1944, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Hanover War Cemetery, Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James and Mary White, of Roseville, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Gosford NSW
Remembered: Panel 132, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1704 hours on the night of 6 December 1944 Lancaster PB646 took off from Balderton detailed to bomb Giessen, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed on near the target area and all the crew members were killed.
The crew members of PB646 were:
Pilot Officer Edmond Gabriel F Ghislain Andre (188601) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Pilot Officer Jabez Kevin Bendall (419604) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Ronald London (150433) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Harold Sidney Martin (1649052) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Harry Monks (1505068) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer Frederick Stratford (J/29978) (RCAF) (Navigator)
Warrant Officer John Paterson White (424497) (Air Bomber)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/43/1025