LEST WE FORGET

Flying Officer John Robert FREES

Service No: 429404
Born: Brisbane QLD, 8 May 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 15 September 1942
Unit: No. 186 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Tuddenham
Died: Air Operations: (No. 186 Squadron Lancaster aircraft NG176), France, 19 October 1944, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Choloy War Cemetery, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Robert and Charlotte Evelyn Frees; husband of Monica Amelia Sophia Frees, of Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Monto QLD
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

At 1810 hours on the night of 19 October 1944 Lancaster NG176 took off from Tuddenham detailed to bomb Stuttgart, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. It is believed that the aircraft came down at Andilly (Meurthe-et-Moselle), 12 kms north of Toul, France. All the crew members were killed.

The crew members of NG176 were:

Sergeant Edward Brunskill (1514782) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Frank Evans (1146235) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer John Robert Frees (429404) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer Ian Dundee Graham (413407) (RNZAF) (Pilot)
Flying Officer John Duncan King McFarlane (421981) (RNZAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant William Raine (1565370) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Henry Alan Summer (1335456) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper 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, 166/14/282

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