LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Leonard Eugene MEHDEN
Service No: 423152
Born: Randwick NSW, 2 September 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 20 June 1942
Unit: No. 115 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Witchford
Died: Air Operations (No. 115 Squadron Lancaster aircraft HK547), France, 20 May 1944, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Le Mans West Cemetery, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Carl and Letitia Mehden; husband of Jocelyne Marjorie Mehden, of Kings Cross, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Bondi NSW
Remembered: Panel 127, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2228 hours on the night of 19 May 1944 Lancaster HK547 took off from Witchford detailed to bomb railway yards at Le Mans, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed approximately 3kms north west of the Le Mans airfield probably hit by anti-aircraft fire. All on board the aircraft were killed.
The crew members of HK547 were:
Pilot Officer Samuel Stephen Atkin (172115) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Reginald Frederick Arthur Giles (1317796) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flying Officer John Victor Hayward (139986) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot)
Pilot Officer Rhys Webb Jones (410064) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Pilot Officer Kenneth Richard Mather (173890) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer Leonard Eugene Mehden (423152) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Ivor Collins Plumb (1804691) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Joseph Rafferty (955666) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
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, 166/27/393