LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Edward Henry LAWRENCE
Service No: 403748
Born: Hurstville NSW, 17 February 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 3 March 1941
Unit: No. 268 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 268 Squadron Tiger Moth aircraft EM913), Scotland, 3 December 1943, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Edinburgh (Corstorphine) Hill Cemetery, Scotland
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Manners Clark Lawrence and Agnes Louisa Lawrence, of Hurstville, New South Wales; husband of Eldred Helen Bernice Lawrence, of Gymea Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Hurstville NSW
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Hurstville War Memorial, Hurstville NSW
On 3 December 1943, Tiger Moth EM913 flew into some power cables at Linlithgow, Scotland, and crashed killing Flying Officer Lawrence. The crew members were:
Captain P R A Bagley (117505) (British Army) (Supernumerary) Injured
Flying Officer Edward Henry Lawrence (403748) (Pilot)
An Inquiry into the Accident reported that: “the aircraft was carrying out local flying at the time to enable the Army Liaison Officer to study the layout of the heavy anti-aircraft battery near the scene of the crash. The crash is directly attributed to loss of height and the Pilot’s failure to see the high tension cables. The electric cables were supported on short wooden poles and were not prominent to view.” The Inquiry concluded that “from witnesses’ evidence it appears that the Pilot flew away from the aerodrome at a very low height and in a dangerous manner. Having reached a gun position about 10 miles north-west of the aerodrome he was circling still very low and he decided to dive even lower. The reason for the dive is not apparent. He failed to see high tension cables about 25 feet high stretching across his path and collided with them. This caused the aircraft to stall, dive into the ground and overturn. The Pilot was killed and the passenger was injured “but got out”. The aircraft burned extensively and exploded.” In opinion of the Inquiry “the accident was caused through the Pilot flying in such a dangerous manner as to strike high tension wires and wreck the aircraft while carrying out unauthorised low flying.”
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, 166/24/240
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line