LEST WE FORGET

Pilot Officer John Whitfield CARTER

Service No: 412912
Born: Roseville NSW, 20 April 1941
Enlisted in the RAAF: 15 August 1941
Unit: No. 437 Squadron (RCAF), RAF Station Manston
Died: Air Operations (No. 437 Squadron Typhoon aircraft JE535), North Sea, 1 April 1944, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Herbert Gordon Carter, D.S.O., and Lydia Kate Carter, of Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 258, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: University of Sydney World War 2 Roll of Honour, Camperdown NSW
Remembered: Ku-ring-gai World War II Book of Remembrance, Gordon NSW

Typhoon JE535 took off from RAF Station Manston on 1 April 1944 and failed to return from a shipping patrol from Dunkirk to Flushing about 3 miles offshore. The weather was overcast and there was some hesitation about conducting the mission, but Pilot Officer Carter asked to go and seemed quite confident about it. At 2220 hours, he took off from Base with instructions to return to base immediately if he found the weather unsuitable. At approximately 2325 hours Ops B phoned to say that Carter was OK and just setting course for home. By this time the weather had deteriorated and aircraft advised by radio to return to base. A searchlight canopy was put up over the aerodrome and all emergency steps taken, but nothing further was heard of the aircraft. S arches were made next day of the area, but no trace of the missing aircraft or pilot found.

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, 166/7/461
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line

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