LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Francis Barker ALLAN
Service No: 409786
Born: Elwood VIC, 18 January 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 10 October 1941
Unit: No. 419 Squadron (RCAF), RAF Station Middleton St George, Durham
Died: Air Operations: (No. 419 Squadron Halifax aircraft JD410), Germany, 6 September 1943, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Rheinberg War Cemetery, Kamp Lintfort, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John Mawby Allan and Claire Blanche Allan, of East Brighton, Victoria, Australia; husband of Shirley Heron Allan, of Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Mentone VIC
Remembered: Panel 133, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1941 hours on the 5/6 September 1943, Halifax JD410 took off from Middleton St George detailed to bomb Mannheim, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and broke up over the target area. Six of the crew were killed in the crash and one became a Prisoner of War.
The crew members of JD410 were:
Flying Officer Francis Barker Allan (409786) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer Robert Weaver Burke (J/20261) (RCAF) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer John Richard Harris (J/22475) (RCAF) (Navigator) PoW
Sergeant Herbert John Hudson (1131558) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Joseph Henry Clark Kilpatrick (1300139) (RAFVR) (Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Harry Nuttall (1672295) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Arthur Ronald Slaney (1235596) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
In a PoW Report Flying Officer Harris stated: “On the night of 5/6th September 1943, we were hit
as a result of enemy action. I do not know what hit us. We suddenly staggered and quivered as if the aircraft was losing control. Sgt Allan said “bale out”. I clamped on my chute on as the aircraft went into a spin. All this happened within a few moments and I was thrown about in the fuselage. Sometime later I could see stars overhead, and I knew I was out of machine. The Germans told me later three had been killed in the crash. I was shown the laundry tag with Allan’s name on it, and a few envelopes with Stanley’s name on it. I did not see anything of the rest of the crew.”
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, 166/3/105