LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Alexander Campbell LAMOND
Service No: 412527
Born: Manly NSW, 20 October 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 July 1941
Unit: No. 1657 Conversion Unit (RAF), Detachment RAF Station East Wretham, Norfolk
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 1657 Conversion Unit Lancaster aircraft DS603), East Wretham, 16 April 1943, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Beck Row (St John) Churchyard, Mildenhall, Suffolk
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James Grimmond Lamond and Veronica Mary Lamond, of Drummoyne, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Drummoyne War Memorial, Drummoyne NSW
On 16 April 1943, Lancaster DS603 took off from East Wretham detailed to carry out three engine flying practice. At 1131 hours the aircraft overshot the runway and after climbing to 300 feet, went completely out of control and crashed to the ground. Four of the crew were killed and Sergeant Atkin was injured. The accident occurred with the starboard outer feathered. The crash occurred on the fourth practice overshoot when going round again. An Inquiry into the accident stated: “the accident was caused by loss of lift on the starboard wing because (1) the Pilot allowed the speed of the aircraft to drop below 110 mph in which case Lancasters are prone to bank over against the dead engine, or (2) engine failure occurred in the starboard inner engine which Sergeant Atken states to have occurred. No (2) was considered more probable as Flight Lieutenant Barrett had over 1300 hours flying experience and the aircraft was a dual aircraft.”
The crew members of DS603 were:
Sergeant S S Atkin (1078961) (RAF) (Pilot under instruction) Injured
Flight Lieutenant Cuthbert Roderick Barrett (83979) (RAFVR) (Instructor Pilot)
Sergeant Sydney Dawson (1125488) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant William Stanley Humphreys (1035927) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Alexander Campbell Lamond (412527) (Pilot under instruction)
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, 166/24/74
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line