LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant Justin Vincent O’LOUGHLIN

Service No: 416226
Born: Jamestown SA, 16 April 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 24 April 1941
Unit: No. 178 Squadron (RAF), Hose Raui, Libya
Died: Air Operations (No. 178 Squadron Liberator aircraft AL638), Italy, 5 March 1943, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Minturno War Cemetery, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Thomas and Lily Rose Ann O’Loughlin, of Renmark, South Australia; husband of Elaine Rose O’Loughlin, of Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, England
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide

Liberator AL638 took off from Chemines Landing Site No 9 on 5 March 1943, and proceeded to the target to carry out a night bombing attack. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. A Missing Research and Enquiry team reported that “the aircraft crashed at Cajazzo and all the crew members were killed.”

The crew members of AL638 were:

Flying Officer Peter John Christopher Bateman-Champain (108603) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flying Officer Stanley Sherwen Brand (122661) (RAFVR) (Co-Pilot)
Sergeant Stanley Nelson Goddard (1153369) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Jack Hoyland (1379740) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant William Johnson (1378982) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Douglas Michael Mitchell (134515) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Justin Vincent O’Loughlin (416226) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Robert Pilson (934460) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)

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, 166/31/28

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