LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Charles Aubrey Jim GILKESON
Service No: 404719
Born: Toowoomba QLD, 3 August 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 8 November 1940
Unit: No. 8 Air Gunnery School RAF
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 8 Air Gunnery school Botha aircraft L6407), near Tain, Scotland, 15 November 1941, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Aubrey Fenwick Gilkeson and Eliza Jane Gilkeson, of Kingsthorpe, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Kingsthorpe QLD
Remembered: Panel 62, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Brother of Sergeant Fenwick Moseley Gilkeson (414483)
On 15 November 1941, Botha L 6407 took off from RAF Station Evanton to carry out a daytime air firing practice of a beam attack to be fired on a “Z” towline. There was ten tenths cloud at the time at a height of 1200/1500 feet with a south east wind and visibility of 5-6 miles. Soon after take-off the aircraft was seen to explode in midair and fall to the ground in flames. The wreck of the aircraft was embedded in tidal mudflats 3 miles from Tarberness, near Tain, Scotland. There was no evidence of parachutes being used. There were no survivors from the accident and no bodies were recovered.
The crew members of L6407 were:
Leading Aircraftman John Keith Allan (1366444) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner under training)
Sergeant Charles Aubrey Jim Gilkeson (404719) (Pilot)
Leading Aircraftman Gilbert Neil James (950929) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner under training)
Leading Aircraftman Desmond Holmes Saxton (1126829) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner under training)
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, 163/117/108