LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Francis Edward NOWLAND
Service No: 425347
Born: Denman NSW, 27 January 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 1 February 1942 (at Brisbane QLD)
Unit: No. 166 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Kirmington
Died: Air Operations: (No. 166 Squadron Lancaster aircraft DV387), Germany, 26 November 1943, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Rheinberg War Cemetery, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Victor Hilton Nowland and Jessie Nowland, of West Maitland, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: West Maitland NSW
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1720 hours on the night of 26 November 1943 Lancaster DV387 took off from Kirmington detailed to bomb Berlin. DV387 was one of 21 aircraft from the Squadron on the mission. The weather was good en route and over the target. Night fighters were active and several combats were reported. Nothing was heard from DV387 after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed in the vicinity of Monchengladbach, Germany, and all the crew members were killed.
The crew members of DV397 were:
Sergeant George Edward John Ballard (1697871) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Harold James Beattie (R/161665) (RCAF) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant William Arthur Green (1591531) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Pilot Officer Jack Howe (137472) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Donald James Howell (1386465) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Francis Edward Nowland (425347) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flying Officer Desmond Henry Patrick O’Brien (55024) (RAF) (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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/30/39