LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Henry Elliott GASKELL
Service No: 407711
Born: Nowra NSW, 27 October 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 4 January 1941 (at Adelaide SA)
Unit: No. 106 Squadron (RAF), RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: Bombing Technique (No. 106 Squadron Lancaster aircraft R5604), Germany, 1 August 1942, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Rheinberg War Cemetery, Kemp Lintfort, Nordrhein-Westfal, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Fred and Amy Frances Gaskell, of Hallett, South Australia. Dip. Eng. (S.A.).
Roll of Honour: Hallett SA
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Lancaster R5604 took off from RAF Coningsby at 0055 hours on the night of 31/1st August 1942, detailed to bomb Dusseldorf, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. R5604 was on of 21 aircraft from the Squadron on the mission and was carrying an 8,000 lb (pound) (3,600 kg) bomb. The aircraft crashed at Lovenach, 9 kms west north west of Cologne and all the crew members were killed.
The crew members of R5604 were:
Sergeant Kenneth John Cooper (1164825) (RAFVR) (Observer)
Sergeant Basil Lionel Ellis-Buxton (1330124) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Henry Elliott Gaskell (407711) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant Leslie Thomas Grimshaw (1379753) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Ernest Frank Holme (903163) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Warrant Officer Peter Ernest Merralls DFC DFM (742016) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Arnold George Smith DFM (651289) (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, 163/115/128
Bibliography:
Gaston, Bruce DFC (406646), Harry Horner DFC OAM (406595), Raymond Storer (406666) (Editors), Aircrew for the Duration: of and by members of RAAF EATS Courses 10, 11, 12 & 13, Gaston Horner and Storer, Nedlands WA, 1990