LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Alan Frederick HOWELL
Service No: 400226
Born: Melbourne VIC, 25 March 1913
Enlisted in the RAAF: 21 July 1940
Unit: No. 230 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Aircraft Accident: (No. 230 Squadron Sunderland aircraft W3927), Aboukir, Egypt, 7 September 1942, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Christopher Travis Howell and Mabel Isabell Howell
Roll of Honour: Camperdown VIC
Remembered: Panel 124, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At night on 7 September 1942 Sunderland W3927 took off and shortly after take-off the port outer engine caught fire, and the cockpit filled with smoke. In attempting to land the aircraft, it crashed into the sea near Aboukir. Eight crew members were killed and six were injured.
The crew members of W3927 were:
Flight Sergeant Robert David Adamson (404000) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Leading Aircraftman Kenneth Barron (629619) (RAF) (Fitter 2E/Air Gunner)
Leading Aircraftman Cowles (1293232) (RAF) (Instruments) Slightly Injured
Flight Lieutenant Ronald Frederick Crockett (79177) (RAFVR) (Observer)
Flying Officer S R H Dunfield (4915) (RCAF) (Second Pilot) Seriously injured
Sergeant Arthur Maxwell Goldsmith (403265) (Wireless Air Gunner) Seriously injured, Discharged from the RAAF: 21 August 1945
Flight Lieutenant Alan Frederick Howell (400226) (Pilot)
Sergeant Bede William Jenkins (403029) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Robert John Fernie Lunn MID (129213) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant John McSherry (643791) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Corporal Frank James Milne (620012) (RAF) (Fitter 2E/Flight Engineer)
Pilot Officer Arthur Gerald Graham Richmond (404037) (O18004) (Third Pilot) Seriously injured, Discharged from the RAAF: 21 February 1946
Aircraftman Class I W Thomas (553532) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) Slightly injured
Sergeant G F A Whitehead (621225) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner) Slightly 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, 163/36/195