LEST WE FORGET
Air Operations: (No. 466 Squadron Wellington aircraft HE212), Belgium, 30 May 1943
Date: 29-30 May 1943
Target: Wuppertal (Barmen-Elberfield)
Total Force: Dispatched – 719, Attacking – 644
RAAF Force: No. 460 Dispatched – 12, Attacking – 11; No. 466 Dispatched – 14, Attacking – 13; No. 467 Dispatched – 22, Attacking – 19
Tons of Bombs Dropped: 1,822
Total Aircraft Lost: 33
RAAF Aircraft Lost: No. 460 – 2; No. 466 – 3
More suitable targets were found during this period in three cities on the fringe of the Ruhr—Wuppertal, Krefeld and Remscheid. None of these contained industries of first magnitude, but each supplied a proportion of the components, special steels, machine tools and textiles on which depended the heavy industry of the Ruhr. Wuppertal consists of the twin towns of Barmen and Elberfeld lying together in a deep, narrow valley. These were attacked separately, one heavy raid laying each section of the city in ruins. Krefeld (June 21-22) and Remscheid (July 30-31) suffered the same fate when attacked in clear weather, for fires, once they had gained firm hold, raged unchecked through the innumerable workshops and small factories within the residential area of these cities.
Extract from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939-1943, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1954 – Pages 488
Wellington HE212 took off from RAF Leconfield at 2223 hours on the night of 29/30th May 1943 to bomb Wuppertal, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Fourteen aircraft took part in the raid and three of these including HE212 failed to return. It was later established that the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at 0400 hours at Vollezelle (Brabant), 26kms west south west of Brussels. All the crew members were killed and are buried in the Brussels Town Cemetery, Belgium.
The crew members of HE212 were:
Sergeant William James Blundell (1380227) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Pilot Officer Anthony Vyvian Harper (145811) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer)
Pilot Officer William Roy Hendon (146015) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer Henry Simon Raoul Lloyd (147904) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Sydney Charles Luke (1380482) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
No. 460 Squadron lost Lancaster ED759 (Flight Sergeant Harry Ellis Bull (413924) (Pilot)) on 30 May 1943.
No. 460 Squadron lost Lancaster W4985 (Flight Sergeant Tom Taylor (413803) (Bomb Aimer)) on 30 May 1943.
No. 466 Squadron lost Wellington MS494 (Sergeant Lindsay Oliver Howard Upjohn (411972) (Pilot)) on 30 May 1943.
No. 466 Squadron lost Wellington HZ269 (Pilot Officer John Charlwood Launder (160037) (RAFVR) (Pilot)) on 30 May 1943
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