LEST WE FORGET
Air Operations: (No. 463 Squadron Lancaster aircraft NF977), Netherlands, 23 October 1944
The Flushing batteries were attacked again (1) on 21st October by No. 3 Group, and by No. 5 Group on the 23rd, when in the face of bad weather and apparently reinforced anti-aircraft defences, the RAAF squadrons lost three aircraft, had five more badly damaged, and considered that many of their bombs had overshot the target.
(1) The previous attack was on 11 October 1944.
Extract from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Over Europe 1944-1945, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1963 – Page 314-5
Lancaster NF977 took off from RAF Waddington at 1421 hours on 23 October 1944 on a day mission to bomb enemy gun positions at Flushing, Holland. The bomb load was14 x 1000 lb (450 kg) bombs. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Twenty aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and two of these including NF977 failed to return. Post war it was established that the aircraft crashed in the target area.
The crew members of NF977 were:
Flying Officer Cyril Borsht (426416) (Pilot) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 31 October 1945
Flight Sergeant Ronald Glynn Shears Cooper (434622) (Rear Gunner) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 5 March 1946
Flight Sergeant Thomas Duncan Laing (1561720) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer) PoW
Pilot Officer Eric Leigh (185670) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Thomas Patrick Lonergan (432828) (Mid Upper Gunner) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 26 October 1945
Flight Sergeant Brian Gregory O’Connell (428820) (Navigator) Evaded capture Discharged from the RAAF: 3 October 1947
Flight Sergeant Maxwell Ray Staunton-Smith (428029) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 28 February 1946
Pilot Officer Leigh was killed and he is buried in the War Cemetery at Bergen-op-Zoom, Belgium.
Flight Sergeant O’Connell evaded capture and the other five crew members became Prisoners of War. In a 1945 statement Flying Officer Borsht reported “The aircraft was hit by light flak at 4000 feet on the run into target with bomb doors open. The Engineer was badly wounded in the stomach and I called the Navigator to assist him. Fire was spreading from the bomb bay into the Aircraft interior. Gave orders to fix chutes. With loss of two engines due to fire unable to maintain height with full bomb load which Bomb Aimer was unable to jettison. Gave abandon order.
All crew baled out except Engineer. Left seat and helped engineer to forward hatch and pushed him out. Aircraft was blazing and close to stall. I baled out at 1000 ft. Aircraft crashed in sea near target. Landed on narrow strip of land between gun emplacements. Hid chute in bushes and moved away. After raid captured near Flushing by German soldiers. Met up with R/G, Mid Upper, WOP and B/A shortly after capture. Navigator successfully evaded capture and returned to UK. Liberated by Russians on 22 April 1945.”
No. 463 Squadron lost Lancaster PD 620 (Flight Sergeant Robert Coward (432371) (Air Gunner)) on 23 October 1944.
No. 467 Squadron lost Lancaster NF989 (Flying Officer Edward Berkley Rowell (422714) (Pilotn)) on 23 October 1944
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