LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Alexander Irvine Lewis DOWNS
Service No: 403565
Born: Haberfield NSW, 30 April 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 3 February 1941
Unit: No. 26 Operational Training Unit (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 26 Operational Training Unit Wellington aircraft DSV867), Netherlands, 11 September 1942, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Gelderland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Philip Kenneth and Cecile Wilhelmina Downs, of Bondi, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Haberfield NSW
Remembered: Panel 121, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2100 hours on the night of 10 September 1942, Wellington DV867 took off from the RAF Station Wing, Buckinghamshire, Satellite airfield armed with 4 x 500 lb General Purpose bombs detailed to attack Dusseldorf, Germany. Nothing was head from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down at 0032 hours by a German night fighter and crashed between Stramproy and Hunsell (Limburg), two small villages 8kms south south east and 10 kms south-east respectively of Weert, Netherlands. All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of DV867 were:
Sergeant Thomas Peter Allenby (R/95975) (RCAF) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Alexander Irvine Lewis Downs (4003565) (Pilot)
Sergeant James Joseph Kearns (656186) (RAFVR) (Observer)
Sergeant Ronald Herbert Kirkpatrick (1270480) (RAFVR) (Observer)
Sergeant James William Rowling (1264833) (RAFVR) (Wireless 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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/103/203