LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Gordon Henry HUGHES
Service No: 417487
Born: Adelaide SA, 25 July 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 23 May 1942
Unit: No. 90 Squadron (RAF), RAF Wratting Common, Cambridgeshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 90 Squadron Stirling aircraft EP458), Germany, 23 September 1943, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Rheinberg War Cemetery, Kamp Lintfort, Nordrhein-Westfal, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Thomas Lester Hughes and Laura Hughes, of Hectorville, South Australia.
Roll of Honour: Adelaide SA
Remembered: Panel 124, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Stirling EP458 took off from RAF Wratting Common at 1901 hours on the night of 23/24th September 1943, detailed to carry out an attack on Mannheim, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base A later report by a Missing Research & Enquiry team stated “the aircraft was on fire and circled the village of Kaifenheim and crashed in one of the streets at approximately 2200 hours on 23 September. Kaifenheim is situated 18 miles south west of Koblenz, Germany.” All the crew were killed.
The crew members of EP458 were:
Flight Sergeant Ronald Brown (427113) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Cedric Brian Gazzard (1315082) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Colin Haynes (1431797) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Joseph Howarth (1048811) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Gordon Henry Hughes (417487) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Douglas Anthony James (1132025) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Paul Gilbert Straker (1312207) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
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, 166/18/191