LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant John Thomas ARMSTRONG
Service No: 410430
Born: East Melbourne VIC, 5 June 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 30 January 1942
Unit: No. 22 Personnel Transit Centre, Almaza, Egypt
Died: Aircraft Accident (Wellington aircraft W4530), Egypt, 24 August 1943, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Heliopolis War Cemetery, Egypt
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James and Emma Violet Armstrong, of Caulfield, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Caulfield VIC
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 24 August 1943 Wellington W4530 was involved in a collision with Wellington Z8425 during a night landing at Cairo West Landing Ground and five crew members on W4530 were killed and one seriously injured. Wellington Z8425 had seven RAF members on board and all were killed. Both aircraft were on authorised Target Illumination trials. They took off at approximately 1900 hours and the trials were completed at 2110 hours. Contrary to written orders the aircraft did not display navigation lights nor were they in radio contact.
The crew members of W4530 were:
Flight Sergeant John Thomas Armstrong (410430) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Walter Arthur Burgess (1338219) (RAFVR) (Observer)
Flight Sergeant John Francis Flanagan (413754) (Pilot)
Wing Commander Charles Harold Mitchell (34244) (RAF) (HQ RAF Middle East, Supernumerary)
Sergeant F R Soames (1294276) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner) Seriously injured
Flight Sergeant Patrick Tracey (414971) (Air Bomber)
On board Z8425 were:
Sergeant Harold Coulson (1024874) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Alec Edward Duncan (1398735) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Peter Thomas Crawford Griffiths (923065) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flight Lieutenant Richard Hornby DFC (78444) (RAF) (Navigator / Bomb Aimer)
Flying Officer Raymond Bernard Kitchen (129604) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant John Tulloch (1349137) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Wing Commander John Sydenham Sabine DFC (26190) (RAF) (HQ RAF Middle East, Supernumerary)
A Later report on a Flying Accident stated “W4530 landed at night without requesting permission to land or in any way communicated with aerodrome control. W4530 landed immediately behind Z8425 which was still on the runway and a collision occurred. The interval between the two landings was such that it was impossible for the Controller in charge of the flare path to prevent W4530 from landing.”
The casualty signal shows all members except the two Wing Commanders belonging to No. 22 Personnel Transit Centre. This was a non-flying unit and the unit that operated both Wellington aircraft is not given in that signal.
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, 166/4/60