LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Eugene Francis McEGAN
Service No: 403200
Born: Croydon NSW, 6 December 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 December 1940
Unit: No. 97 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Bourn
Died: Air Operations: (No. 97 Squadron Lancaster aircraft JB238), Germany, 22 November 1943, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Francis and Irene Mary McEgan, of Strathfield, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Strathfield NSW
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Strathfield World War II Roll of Honour, Strathfield NSW
Remembered: St. Patricks College Strathfield – Memorial Chapel and Honour Roll, Strathfield NSW
At 1730 hours on the night of 22 November 1943 Lancaster JB238 took off from Bourn detailed to bomb Berlin. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed at Achmer, 4 kms west south west of Bramsche, Germany. Three crew members were killed and four became Prisoners of War.
The crew members of JB238 were:
Warrant Officer I J R A Burke (R/76052) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner) PoW
Sergeant W S Gibb (1573457) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner) PoW
Sergeant J J Johnson (1078720) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) PoW
Flying Officer Eugene Francis McEgan (403200) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer P A Spencer (155157) (RAFVR) (Navigator) PoW
Flying Officer John Vincent Tyler (51097) (RAF) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Francis Alfred Williams (21213) (Flight Engineer)
In a later report Warrant Officer I Burke stated “On being captured by farmers I was informed that McEgan was dead when found due to failure of his chute to open. This was later verified by a German Intelligence Officer.”
Sergeant Gibb stated that “I believe McEgan was killed after baling out of the aircraft but never saw him myself and cannot confirm the report.”
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, 166/26/298