LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Albert Mervyn NICHOLS
Service No: 406256
Born: North Perth WA, 21 June 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 7 October 1940
Unit: No. 11 Squadron (RAF), Colombo Racecourse, Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 11 Squadron Blenheim aircraft Z7640), Ceylon, 5 May 1942, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Colombo (Kanatte) General Cemetery, Sri Lanka
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William and Margaret Nichols, of Bilbarin, Western Australia.
Roll of Honour: Corrigin WA
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
At approximately 1135 hours on 5 May 1942, Z7640 was flying low level along the coast of Ceylon north of Hambantota when approximately 400 metres from the shore, the port engine failed, causing the port wing to drop and strike the water. The aircraft swung violently and dived into the sea to sink immediately in 5 fathoms (10 metres) of water. Two of the crew were injured but they succeeded in extracting Sergeant Nichols from the plane and bring him to shore. Artificial resuscitation however failed to revive him.
The crew members of Z 7640 were:
Sergeant Harry James Scutchings Cargill (406193) (Observer) Injured, Killed in an Aircraft Accident: 17 December 1944
Sergeant William Michael Jones (400256) (Wireless Air Gunner) Injured, Discharged from the RAAF: 9 October 1945
Sergeant Albert Mervyn Nichols (406256) (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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/147/221