LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Leonard John HINTON
Service No: 414239
Born: Brisbane QLD, 25 October 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 17 August 1941
Unit: No. 103 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Elsham Wolds
Died: Air Operations: (No. 103 Squadron Lancaster aircraft JB279), 18 October 1943, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Becklingen War Cemetery, Soltau, Niedersachsen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. L. Hinton, of Greenslopes, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 124, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Lancaster JB279 took off from Elsham Wolds at 1730 hours on the night of 18 October 1943 detailed to bomb Hanover, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed at 2010 hours on the 18 October near Enichshagen, about 3kms north east of Nienberg and all the crew members were killed.
The crew members of JB279 were:
Sergeant Tom Bell (1075168) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Thomas Henry Davies (991591) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Victor Barnett Hawkins (1272083) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Pilot Officer Leonard John Hinton (414239) (Pilot)
Sergeant Charles Henry Leech (1809766) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Kenneth James Offer (1434396) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Thomas Frederick Stott (1379702) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
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 A9300, HINTON L J
Bibliography:
Charlwood, D.E.C. (Donald Ernest Cameron) (408794) No Moon Tonight (Angus and Robertson 1956), Penguin Ringwood VIC, 3134, 1991