LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Arthur Lennox McDONALD
Service No: 403069
Born: Raymond Terrace NSW, 24 July 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 9 December 1940
Unit: No. 106 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Syerston
Died: Air Operations: (No. 106 Squadron Lancaster aircraft R5749), Germany, 12 March 1943, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Archibald Gillies McDonald and Grace Lennox McDonald, of Springwood, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1859 hours on the night of 12 March 1943 Lancaster R5749 took off from Syerston detailed to bomb Essen, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down in the target area and six of the crew members were killed and one was taken prisoner.
The crew members of R5749 were:
Sergeant Henry Stuart Fell Bishell (1147352) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Edward Blake Clampitt (R/114787) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Bernard James Eckett (1376454) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Robert Neil Lindsay (404815) (Air Bomber) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 7 January 1946
Pilot Officer Arthur Lennox McDonald (403069) (Pilot)
Sergeant Robin Cecil Carrow Owen (1437145) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Kenneth Roland Joseph Young (572584) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
In 1945 the then Flight Lieutenant Lindsay made the following statement: “the aircraft exploded at 20,000 feet after the bombing run was completed. It was hit by flak about 5 minutes previously when passing over Dorsten, and there were no outward signs of damage after a quick check by the Engineer and the Pilot. I was the only one hit and that was in the legs. After the bomb run everything seemed alright then there was a bright yellow flash in my face and the next thing I can recall was sailing through the air. I pulled my parachute cord and landed in Essen where I was picked up by the Germans. They told me the others had been killed in the crash.”
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, 166/26/52