LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant Sydney Norris KELLY

Service No: 426350
Born: Brisbane QLD, 6 March 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 20 June 1942
Unit: No. 106 Squadron (RAF), RAF Metheringham,
Died: Air Operations: (No. 106 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ME790), Germany, 23 May 1944, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Rheinberg War Cemetery, Kamp Lintfort, Nordrhein-Westfal, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Frederick Francis Alexander and Eva May Kelly, of Dayboro, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Dayboro QLD
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

Lancaster ME790 took off from RAF Metheringham at 2235 hours on the night of 22 May 1944, detailed to bomb Brunswick, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down at 0010 hours on 23 May 1944 and exploded in the air. It crashed at Windhorst near Loningen, 100 kms south west of Bremen. Seven of the crew members were killed and one became a Prisoner of War.

The crew members of ME790 were:

Sergeant Reginald Herbert Cozens (1590633) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Lieutenant Sidney Jack Houlden (67682) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Raymond Cecil Hulme (1896080) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Sydney Norris Kelly (426350) (Rear Gunner)
Warrant Officer Kenneth Thomas Millikan (417215) (Air Bomber)
Warrant Officer George Henry Pringle (425213) (Wireless Air Gunner) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 7 November 1946
Flight Sergeant William Earl Scott (J/29485) (RCAF) (Pilot)
Warrant Officer Cecil Harold Whyte (412328) (Navigator)

In a later statement Warrant Officer Pringle reported “The aircraft was set on fire by anti-aircraft fire and the bombs blew up. Height 14,000 feet. It was out of control at the time of the fire and explosion. The aircraft crashed 10 minutes before zero hour. I had minor injuries from the anti-aircraft fire to the back and head. I was captured 5 minutes after landing. The Germans told me the others had been killed.”

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, 166/22/251

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