LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Kenneth Ian COLE
Service No: 417806
Born: Adelaide SA, 1 September 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 10 January 1942
Unit: No. 100 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Grimsby, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 100 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ME828), Germany, 12 September 1944, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Durnbach War Cemetery, Bad Tolz, Bayern, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. K. Cole, of Adelaide, South Australia.
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Lancaster ME828 took off from Grimsby at 1810 hours on the night of 12 September 1944, detailed to bomb Frankfurt, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire near Eschersheimer Landstrasse, Frankfurt, and all the crew members were killed
The crew members of ME828 were:
Pilot Officer Clement Hector Brown (J/87009) (RCAF) (Second Pilot)
Flying Officer Kenneth Ian Cole (417806) (Pilot)
Sergeant Gordon Victor George (1647557) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Kenneth James Hamilton (1806460) (RAF) (Mid Air Gunner)
Sergeant Jack Jefferies (1580896) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Bryan Stanley Kent (1527435) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Thomas Matthew Meir (1195317) (RAFVR) (Second Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Alfred Henry John Plastow (1474275) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Frank Ritchie (RAF) (577573) (Flight Engineer)
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, 166/8/636