LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer John Wallace Mills HERBERT
Service No: 417639
Born: Balaklava SA, 13 June 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 20 June 1942
Unit: No. 103 Squadron (RAF), RAF Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 103 Squadron Lancaster aircraft NG420), Germany, 24 December 1944, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Rheinberg War Cemetery, Kamp Lintfort, Nordrhein-Westfal, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of George Arthur Giffen Herbert and Phillis Estelle Herbert, of Kadina, South Australia
Roll of Honour: Adelaide SA
Remembered: Panel 123, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Lancaster NG420 took off from RAF Elsham Wolds at 1443 hours on the afternoon of 24 December 1944, detailed to bomb Cologne, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. A Missing Research & Enquiry team reported “NG 420 was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and crashed at 1900 hours near Sindorf about 20 kms from Cologne. The aircraft burst into flames on impact and all the crew members were killed.”
The crew members of NG420 were:
Sergeant Philip Kennedy Ashcroft (1581428) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Reginald Wilfred Baker (1265506) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Eric Bone (1541373) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Warrant Officer John Wallace Mills Herbert (417639) (Wireless Operator Air)
Sergeant Robert Henry Holliday (3000576) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer Keith Alfred Isaac Hunt (164211) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flying Officer Donald Ian McDonald (419584) (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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/17/923
Bibliography:
Charlwood, D.E.C. (Donald Ernest Cameron) (408794) No Moon Tonight (Angus and Robertson 1956), Penguin Ringwood VIC, 3134, 1991