LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant Mervyn James HERD

Service No: 425439
Born: Kilcoy QLD, 31 December 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 28 February 1942
Unit: No. 49 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Fiskerton
Died: Air Operations (No. 49 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ND676), over Germany, 26 March 1944, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Peter and Alice Herd, of Kilcoy, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Kilcoy QLD
Remembered: Panel 123, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

At 1955 hours on the night of 26 March 1944 Lancaster ND676 took off from Fiskerton to bomb Essen, Germany. The aircraft was badly damaged by a night fighter whose fire killed the Wireless Operator and slightly wounded the Navigator. The aircraft crash landed at Coltishall airfield, Norfolk, after five of the crew members had baled out over Swanton Morley on the Captain’s orders. The damage to the aircraft was severe and it was a total write off.

The crew members of ND676 were:

Sergeant L Armstrong (1591807) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner) Baled out
Sergeant V C Cully (RCAF) (Air Bomber) Baled out
Sergeant A B Dickens (Mid Upper Gunner) Baled out
Sergeant J Hague (1452134) (RAFVR) (Navigator) Baled out, wounded
Flight Sergeant Mervyn James Herd (425439) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant N C Pettit (1627622) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) Baled out
Flying Officer A W Shinn (RAF) (Pilot) Safe

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, 166/17/264

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