LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant John Edwin FLECKNOE
Service No: 402920
Born: Sydney NSW, 5 November 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 November 1940
Unit: No. 458 Squadron, Protville, Tunisia
Died: Air Operations: (No. 458 Squadron Wellington aircraft LB195), Mediterranean, 16 June 1943, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur Edwin and Mabel Flecknoe, of Wollstonecraft, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Wollstonecraft NSW
Remembered: Column 278, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 106, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Wellington LB195 took off from Protville, Tunisia at 2040 hours on the night of 15 June 1943 to carry out a close anti-sub patrol escort of convoy ‘Parcel’. At 0020 hours on 16 June the aircraft suddenly went off the RDF plot in position 30.55N 020.04E. The aircraft was not seen again and failed to return to base.
The crew members of LB195 were:
Sergeant Eric Burton Bottomley (657621) (RAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant John Runnacles Cousins (1269264) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant John Edwin Flecknoe (402920) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Bryan Lockwood Pottage (1425553) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant John Douglas Reynolds (1165671) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant Thomas Peter Scandliffio (R/102787) (RCAF) (Navigator)
All the missing crew members have no known grave and their names are commemorated on the
Alamein Memorial.
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, 166/13/71
Bibliography:
Alexander, P. (Peter) We Find and Destroy: history of No. 458 Squadron, The 458 Squadron Council, 1959