LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Archibald John MARFELL
Service No: 400677
Born: Warrnambool VIC 26 May 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 12 October 1940
Unit: No. 12 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Wickenby
Died: Unrecovered
Buried: Air Operations: (No. 12 Squadron Lancaster aircraft W4855), Germany, 3 March 1943, Aged 21 Years
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Henry George and Helena Catherine Marfell, of Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia; husband of Mildred Beatrice Marfell, of Alberta, Canada
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 127, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Lancaster W4855 took off from RAF Wickenby at 1858 hours on the night of 3/4 March 1943 to bomb Hamburg, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. Post war it was established that the aircraft crashed near Rotenburg (Wumme) and all the crew members were killed.
The crew members of W4855 were:
Flight Sergeant Henry Herbert Brien (411281) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Laurence Burnett (574662) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Roy Victor Malcolm Davenport (1386048) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Ian Victor Heatley (405310) (Bomb Aimer)
Flight Sergeant Donald Kerr (401646) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Archibald John Marfell (400677) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Kenneth Rupert William Simmonds (551578) (RAF) (Pilot)
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, 166/6/65