LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Eric Edward LANCASTER
Service No: 413617
Born: Cootamundra NSW, 19 December 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 12 September 1941
Unit: No. 166 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Kirmington
Died: Air Operations: (No. 166 Squadron Wellington aircraft BK299), off the French Coast, 7 April 1943, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John Edward and Nell Lancaster; husband of Elsie Margaret Lancaster, of Orange, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 193, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Broke Memorial Board, Broke NSW
Wellington BK299 was one of twelves aircraft which took off from Kirmington on the night of 6/7th April 1943 to carry out mining operations in specified areas off Lorient, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Following post war investigations and enquiries it was recorded in 1949 that the missing crew members had no known graves.
The crew members of BK299 were:
Flight Lieutenant Nigel Stuart Hally Brown (72015) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Ivan Caulton (1454107) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Eric Edward Lancaster (413617) (Observer)
Sergeant Ronald Lankester (1239621) (RAFVR) (Navigator Bomb Aimer)
Sergeant Malcolm Harold Victor Lewis (1315566) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator)
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, 166/24/64
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line