LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant James William GRIMWADE
Service No: 403664
Born: Mount Garnet QLD, 30 June 1911
Enlisted in the RAAF: 3 February 1941 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 106 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Coningsby
Died: Air Operations: (No.106 Squadron Lancaster aircraft R5683), Lincolnshire, 26 July 1942, Aged 31 Years
Buried: Coningsby Cemetery, Lincolnshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Royce Edmund and Mary Augustus Grimwade; husband of Vite Grimwade, of Hamilton, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 123, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 0100 hours on 26 July 1942 Lancaster R5683 took off from Coningsby to attack Duisburg, Germany. Shortly after take-off the aircraft exploded in the air and crashed into soft sand and shallow water, six miles west of Boston, Lincolnshire. All on board were killed.
The crew members of R5683 were:
Flight Sergeant Geoffrey Appleyard DFM (1058273) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Robert Lovie Beaddie (617835) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Montague Darvill DFM (925500) (RAFVR)
Sergeant James Douglas Davie (752091) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant James William Grimwade (403664) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Ray Branton Smith (J/15451) (RCAF)
Sergeant Leonard Walter Young (646248) (RAFVR)
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, 163/118/399