LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Harry James SIMPSON
Service No: 414604
Born: Brisbane QLD, 24 June 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 12 October 1941
Unit: No. 156 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Warboys
Died: Air Operations: (No. 156 Squadron Lancaster aircraft JA858), France, 6 September 1943, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Choloy War Cemetery, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James and Edith Matilda Simpson; husband of Catherine Findlay Simpson, of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 130, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1930 hours on the night of 5September 1943 Lancaster JA858 took off from Warboys detailed to bomb Mannheim, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down at 18,000 feet down by a night fighter and crashed. Two crew members were killed and five became Prisoners of War.
The crew members of JA858 were:
Flying Officer Torres Davey Ferres (33506) (Navigator) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 1 February 1946
Sergeant Walter Friend (908594) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant Dennis Grout (1350336) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Cyril Johnson (1506699) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Flying Officer Charles Russell Norton (24878) (Air Bomber) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 26 November 1945
Flying Officer John Charles Pritchard (411825) (Pilot) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 15 February 1946
Flight Sergeant Harry James Simpson (414604) (Rear Gunner)
In a PoW Report Flying Officer Pritchard stated “We were attacked by a JU88 shortly after bombing Mannheim. Ordered crew to prepare to abandon, and 30 seconds later gave the abandon aircraft order. The aircraft was on fire, and the elevators were unserviceable. I baled out at 1000 feet, four others were safe, but two were still in the aircraft when it blew up. I had injured the back and could not move from where I landed, when captured. Released by the Russians.”
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, 163/37/204