LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant James George Leslie GLAZEBROOK
Service No: 425640
Born: Mount Morgan QLD, 10 December 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 25 April 1942
Unit: No. 619 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Coningsby
Died: Air Operations: (No. 619 Squadron Lancaster aircraft LM419), Germany, 25 February 1944, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Durnbach War Cemetery, Bad Tolz, Bayern, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James and Janie Elizabeth Glazebrook, of Maryborough, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Maryborough QLD
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2008 hours on the night of 24 February 1944, Lancaster LM419 took off from Coningsby detailed to attack Schweinfurt, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter, whose fire is believed to have caused the port wing to break off. It crashed between Oberkillwangen and Schmien, six miles south west of Calw, Germany. Three crew members were killed, and the others four became Prisoners of War. A Missing Research and Enquiry team was told that Flying Officer Williams had baled out but too late, and his body was found in a tree not far from where the aircraft crashed.
The crew members of LM419 were:
Flying Officer C H Clarke (138404) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber) PoW
Flight Sergeant James George Leslie Glazebrook (425640) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flying Officer A G Knight (139621) (RAFVR) (Navigator) PoW
Pilot Officer P B Smith (173103) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant J R Trail (1319104) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Sergeant William Walch (1684118) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer Erle Keith Williams (J/22780) (RCAF) (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
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/15/196