LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant John Keith BOND
Service No: 412099
Born: Enfield NSW, 21 January 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 22 June 1941
Unit: No. 12 Squadron (RAF), RAF Wickenby, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 12 Squadron Lancaster I aircraft W4789), Germany, 18 January 1943, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Walter and Lillian Blanch Bond, of Burwood, New South Wales, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Comboyne NSW
Remembered: Panel 192, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 119, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Taree World War II and Post War Memorials, Taree NSW
Lancaster W4789 of 12 Squadron took off from RAF Station Wickenby, at 1626 hours on the 17 January 1943 to bomb Berlin. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. In 1949 crew members were recorded as missing with had no known graves.
The crew members of W4789 were:
Sergeant Leslie Ernest Austin (1087065) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant John Keith Bond (412099) (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Sergeant Jim Corke (1378184) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant William Richard Maunder (646817) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Colin McDowell Miller (401848) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Douglas Clarke Morphett (406573) (Pilot)
Sergeant Derek Bryan Pollitt (1229401) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
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
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/6/15
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line