LEST WE FORGET

Pilot Officer Douglas Charles CROSTHWAITE

Service No: 425128
Born: Rockhampton QLD, 5 May 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 31 January 1942
Unit: No. 431 Squadron (RCAF), RAF Station Croft
Died: Air Operations: (No. 431 Squadron Halifax aircraft LK884), Belgium, 9 May 1944, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Gosselies Communal Cemetery, Hainaut, Belgium
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Alfred Charles and Clara Ivy Crosthwaite, of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Rockhampton QLD
Remembered: Panel 133, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

At 0107 hours on 9 May 1944, Halifax LK884 took off from Croft detailed to bomb railway yards at Haine-St-Pierrre, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at 0330 hours at Rance (Hainaut), 26 kms south east of Mons. All the crew members were killed.

The crew members of LK884 were:

Pilot Officer Douglas Charles Crosthwaite (425128) (Navigator)
Flying Officer Adriano Richard Girolami (J/12046) (RCAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Joseph Victor Jacques Gravel (J/90084) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner) Aged 18 Years
Sergeant Derek Vernon Guttridge (1867802) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Lieutenant Robert Frazer Mead (J/7760) (RCAF) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer Joseph Albert Bastien Ouimet (J/90386) (RCAF) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flying Officer Leslie Charles Edgar Webley (J/21610) (RCAF) (Air Bomber)

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, 166/8/446

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