LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Douglas MENERE
Service No: 413876
Born: Katoomba NSW, 4 August 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 13 September 1941
Unit: No. 199 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Lakenheath
Died: Air Operations: (No. 199 Squadron Stirling aircraft EF453), North West Europe, 5 November 1943, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Aubrey Henri and Esther Josephine Menere
Roll of Honour: Katoomba NSW
Remembered: Panel 193, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 127, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1558 hours on the night of 4 November 1943, Stirling EF 453took off from Lakenheath to carry out mining operations in the Kattegat area. Nothing further was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. With no trace of the missing aircraft or crew being found from post war investigations and enquiries, it was recorded that the missing crew members were lost at sea.
The crew members of EF453 were:
Sergeant Walter Jones (1459867) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Douglas Menere (413876) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Pilot Officer Donald Francis Moore (412627) (Pilot)
Sergeant Arthur Richmond (1315723) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Sergeant Victor Jack Southgate (1217694) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Peter Watson (R/54861) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer Douglas Clement Welch (132711) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
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, 166/27/267