LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer James William HECK
Service No: 409114
Born: Fairfield VIC, 11 March 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 July 1941
Unit: No. 20 Operational Training Unit (RAF), RAF Station Lossiemouth
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 20 Operational Training Unit Wellington aircraft L7867), Argyllshire, 10 December 1942, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Lossiemouth Burial Ground, Moray, Scotland
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Oswald Clarence and Maggie Davidson Heck, of Ivanhoe, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Heidelberg VIC
Remembered: Panel 123, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 10 December 1942, Wellington L7867 took off from Lossiemouth armed with eight practice bombs, two smoke floats and two sea markers. The aircraft was reported to have crashed at 1500 hours on to Ben Alder near Port William in Argyllshire while descending through the cloud cover. Five of the crew members were killed and one was injured in the crash.
The crew members of L7867 were:
Flying Officer James William Heck (409114) (Pilot)
Sergeant James Hemmings (1032155) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Maurice Hutt (1332295) (RAFVR) (Observer)
Sergeant William Ernest Riley (658299) (RAF) (Navigator)
Sergeant Joseph Towers (1126835) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant P E Underwood (1389567) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner) Injured
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, 163/35/38