LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Christian Henry GERNER
Service No: 433206
Born: Waratah NSW, 8 December 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 27 February 1943
Unit: No. 4 Wireless School (RAF), RAF Station Madley, Hereford
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 4 Wireless School Proctor aircraft LZ595), Herefordshire, 6 February 1945, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Blythe (Cowpen) Cemetery, Northumberland
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Christian Henry and Isabelle Gerner, of Singleton, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Singleton NSW
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Singleton War Memorial, Singleton NSW
On 6 February 1945, Proctor LZ595 took off from Madley on a non-operational day wireless telegraph exercise. The aircraft crashed at 1110 hours when it flew into high ground in bad visibility, and the crew was killed. The aircraft had become lost in the bad weather and the Pilot in endeavouring to make a forced landing in bad visibility stalled the aircraft during the final part of the approach and the aircraft crashed.
The crew members of LZ595 were:
MAT F S Boucris (1087) (Free French Forces) (Wireless Telegraph Cadet)
Flight Sergeant Christian Henry Gerner (433206) (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, 166/15/407
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line