LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant Angus Thomas Jellicoe LOVETT

Service No: 423514
Born: Wardell NSW, 6 June 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 30 June 1942
Unit: No. 49 Squadron (RAF), RAF Fulbeck, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 49 Squadron Lancaster aircraft PB537), Germany, 7 March 1945, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Becklingen War Cemetery, Soltau, Niedersachsen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John Charles and Stella Jane Lovett, of Stockton, New South Wales, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Stockton NSW
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Stockton War Memorial, Stockton Beach NSW

Lancaster PB537 took off from RAF Fulbeck at 1745 hours on the night of 7/8th March 1945 to bomb oil facilities at Harburg, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. It was believed that the aircraft crashed at 2215 hours at Sandbostel, 9 kms SSW from the centre of Bremervorde, Germany. Four of the crew were killed and three became Prisoners of War.

The crew members of PB537 were:

Warrant Officer Ralph McPherson Bairnsfather (417440) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant J F Brennan (189067) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Sergeant J P Dixon (2211110) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner) PoW
Sergeant Robert Cecil Gilbert (1900007) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Angus Thomas Jellicoe Lovett (423514) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Roussell William Galloway Stark (429834) (Pilot)
Warrant Officer John Charles Yeoman (419244) (Navigator) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 29 January 1946

A later POW report by Warrant Officer Yeoman stated “Attacked by night fighter. Skipper ordered
Jump Jump. Flight Engineer out before me. I baled out at 7,000 feet. Other five still in aircraft.
Aircraft was on fire complete starboard wing. Crashed in vicinity of Bremerrode. Wandered in south east direction and picked up by German sentry.”

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, 166/25/281
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line

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