LEST WE FORGET

Air Operations: (No. 460 Squadron Lancaster aircraft NE144), Baltic Sea, 30 August 1944

On 29th-30th August No. 460 contributed 24 to a force of 403 Lancasters with a predominantly incendiary load sent to burn out as much of Stettin as possible. Despite the loss of 23 aircraft the raid was successful and additional large areas of the town and dock area were damaged.

Extract from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Over Europe 1944-1945, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1963 – Page 296

Lancaster NE144 took off from RAF Binbrook at 2106 hours on the night of 29/30th August 1944 to bomb the port and U Boat yards at Stettin, Poland. The bomb load was 1 x 4000 lb (pound) (1,800 kg) and 1 x 500 lb (225 kg) bombs, 72 x 30 lb (14 kg) and 855 x 4 lb (2 kg) incendiaries. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. It was later presumed that the aircraft came down in the Baltic Sea.

The crew members of NE144 were:

Sergeant Philip Bodein Aviet (1808102) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Dennis Fallon (1750250) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flying Officer Kevin Willoughby Humphris (401959) (Pilot) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 14 December 1945
Flying Officer J B MacNeill (28919) (RAF) (Navigator) PoW
Flying Officer Ronald Kenneth Stratford DFM (171030) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant G D Walsh (1417720) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer) PoW
Sergeant S R Wild (2203758) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) PoW

Flying Officer Stratford’s body was washed ashore on the island of Anholt, and he is buried in the Anholt Cemetery, Denmark. Sergeant Fallon and Sergeant Aviet rest in Sweden at the Falkenberg Forest Cemetery, Sweden.

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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll

Bibliography:

Firkins, P. C. (Peter Charles) (441386) Strike and Return, Westward Ho Publishing City Beach WA, 1985

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