LEST WE FORGET

Flying Officer Frank Andrew COUPER

Service No: 404053
Born: Mareeba QLD, 19 January 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 April 1940
Unit: No. 1474 Wireless Interception Flight (RAF), RAF Station Gransden Lodge
Died: Aircraft Accident: (No. 1474 Flight Wellington aircraft DV892), North Sea, 18 December 1942, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Esbjerg (Fourfelt) Cemetery, Denmark
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Charles F. A. and Florrie Josephine Couper, of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Mareeba QLD
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

At 1421 hours on 18 December 1942, Wellington DV892 took off from Gransden Lodge for a special wireless investigation sortie in the Yarmouth area, and up to 30 miles off the coast. At approximately 1500 hours, eyewitnesses reported the aircraft orbiting Hopton and it was last sighted at 1521 hours on a south-easterly heading making towards the sea. Despites extensive searching, no trace of the aircraft was found, but two bodies were eventually recovered – Pilot Officer Couper was found at Vajera Strand and Pilot Officer Pickles was taken from the water at 52.16N 001.49E.  The flight was to test a new Wireless Receiver. At 1632 hours the test was finished, and the aircraft was plotted setting course eastward, when it was lost by Radio Direction Finding (RDF) stations, and nothing further was heard from the aircraft.

The crew members of DV892 were:

Pilot Officer Peter Rowland Ackernley (109094) (RAFVR) (Special Wireless Operator)
Flying Officer Frank Andrew Couper (404053) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Edwin Francis McKenna (404078) (RNZAF) (Front Gunner)
Pilot Officer Sidney Charles McLellan (50586) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer William Turner Pickles (109972) (RAFVR) (Special Wireless Operator)
Flight Sergeant Arthur Taylor (549284) (RAF) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer John Williams (73459) (RAF) (Navigator)

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, 163/98/820

Bibliography:

Brettingham, Laurie, Beam Benders No. 80 (Signals) Wing RAF 1940-5, Midland Publishing, Leicester UK, 1997

Book Now Book Now