LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant John Edward OSBORNE
Service No: 417877
Born: North Kensington SA, 25 December 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 18 July 1942
Unit: No. 75 Squadron (RAF), RAF Mepal, Cambridgeshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 75 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ND915), Netherlands, 21 July 1944, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Eindhoven (Woensel) General Cemetery, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John and Margaret Ellen Osborne, of Allenby Gardens, South Australia
Roll of Honour: Adelaide SA
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Lancaster ND915 took off from RAF Mepal at 2320 hours on the night of 20 July 1944, detailed to bomb Homberg, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed at 0135 hours on the 21st July 1944 between Keldonk (Noord-Brabant) and Erp, about 5 kms south east of Veghel. Five of the crew were killed and two became Prisoners of War.
The crew members of ND915 were:
Sergeant William John Scott Ballard (1453215) (RAF) (Mid Upper Gunner) PoW
Sergeant Reginald Ernest Buzza (2203174) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Warrant Officer Hugh Edward Gilmour (22776) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Samuel Mills (425036) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant John Edward Osborne (417877) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant John Leonard Stephenson (2202248) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Warrant Officer Lindsay Arthur Woodward (417257) (Navigator) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 3 September 1946
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, 166/31/225