LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Lewis Herbert AUSTIN
Service No: 402338
Born: Melbourne VIC, 5 August 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 August 1940 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 50 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Swinderby
Died: Air Operations (No. 50 Squadron Lancaster aircraft R5702), Germany, 9 November 1942, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Herbert James Austin and Annie Elizabeth Austin, of Elwood, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Melbourne VIC
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1820 hours on the night of 9 November 1942 Lancaster R5702 took off from Swinderby detailed to bomb Hamburg, Germany. On its return from the mission R5702 crashed at RAF Bradwell Bay at 2254 hours on 9 November 1942. The circumstances are as follows:
When over the target area R5782 found a clear layer between the clouds from 6/7,000 feet with fairly heavy icing in the cloud above the layer. At the point of bombing the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire on the port wing tip spraying the port side with shrapnel. A second burst hit the aircraft in the same quarter and the aircraft shuddered violently. The Pilot was hit by a small piece of shrapnel in the arm and the intercom was cut off.
The aircraft was flying left wing low and the aileron trim and rudder bias unserviceable. The Navigator was badly wounded and the Wireless Air Gunner had been killed. The wireless receiver, TR9, DR compass, Lorenz and IFF were all unserviceable, and the GEE blew up. The aircraft proceeded homebound to the south of England. The aircraft found a aerodrome beneath a searchlight cone and circled round flashing the downward recognition signal and got the green light to land. The hydraulic system was unserviceable and the emergency system was used to lower the undercarriage. At about 200 feet there was ground fog and the flare path disappeared except the two flares at the start of the runway, but not much indication of height. On seeing the start of the runway the throttles were opened up, control column pulled back, the wheels hit the ground and collapsed taking most of the shock. The aircraft skidded along the runway to the right and the petrol and ignition immediately switched off.
The crew members of R5702 were:
Sergeant Lewis Herbert Austin (402338) (Wireless Air Gunner) Killed
Flying Officer R O Calvert (404890) (RNZAF) (Pilot) Slightly wounded
Sergeant A W G Connors (RAF) (Air Gunner) Uninjured
Sergeant G Cruikshank (629128) (RAF) (Air Gunner) Uninjured
Flight Sergeant J Medland (1375895) (RAFVR) (Navigator) Badly wounded
Pilot Officer D A Power (R/9418) (RCAF) (flying as the Flight Engineer) (Pilot) Uninjured
Sergeant D M Wilson (1062601) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber) Uninjured
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, 163/89/32