LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Lawrence Edward FAITHORN
Service No: 422471
Born: Bondi NSW, 15 April 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 22 May 1942
Unit: No. 83 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Coningsby
Died: Air Operations: (No. 83 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ND854), off Brest, France, 14 August 1944, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Barter William and Thais Faithorn, of Port Moresby, Papua
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 258, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Gordon Public School Rolls of Honor, Gordon NSW
Pilot Officer Faithorn was a gunner on Lancaster JB344 that crashed near Wyton on 17 December 1943 killing Flight Sergeant Vincent Gregory Tankard (410269).
At 1728 hours on the night of 14 August 1944 Lancaster ND854 took off from Coningsby detailed to attack shipping at Brest, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. It was presumed that the aircraft crashed into the sea off Brest. All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of ND854 were:
Flight Lieutenant Cecil Ford Bedell DFC & Bar (129540) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer Lawrence Edward Faithorn (422471) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Pilot Officer Brian Bruce Furniss (178724) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant John Henderson (1075987) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Warrant Officer Graham Marsden Jones (1108838) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer Edward Alexander Louis Kemp DFC (149253) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer John Leonard (J/29987) (RCAF) (Navigator B)
Flight Lieutenant Francis Eric McLean DFC (413091) (Pilot)
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 A705,166/13/160
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line