LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Leonard FORRESTER
Service No: 405580
Born: Herberton QLD, 28 July 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 26 April 1941
Unit: No. 460 Squadron, RAF Station Breighton, Yorkshire
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 1656 Conversion Flight Manchester aircraft R5780), Staffordshire, 19 October 1942, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Fradley (St Stephens) Churchyard, Staffordshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Henry and Ada Emily Forrester, of Herberton, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Herberton QLD
Remembered: Panel 107, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 19 October 1942, Manchester R5780 of 1656 Conversion Training Flight RAF, temporarily stationed at RAF Breighton, was engaged on a short air firing practice flight. The aircraft struck a tree while low flying, the starboard main plane was torn off and the aircraft dived into the ground, 2kms east north east of Lichfield aerodrome, Staffordshire. All the crew members including three members of No. 460 Squadron were killed.
The crew members of R5780 were:
Aircraftman Class II Sidney Dobell (1575906) (RAFVR)*
Flying Officer Leonard Forrester (405580) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Aircraftman Class I Dennis William Hodges (1157240) (RAFVR)*
Pilot Officer Reginald Dudley Horner (101544) (RAFVR) (Pilot)*
Flying Officer Denis Michael Murphy (404146) (Second Pilot)
Flying Officer Roger Wyndham Wood (408768) (Navigator)
* Members of 1656 Conversion Training Flight RAF
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, 163/32/142
Bibliography:
Firkins, P. C. (Peter Charles) (441386) Strike and Return, Westward Ho Publishing City Beach WA, 1985