LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant John Maxwell PARSONS

Service No: 409274
Born: Wynyard TAS, 8 April 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 20 July 1941 (at Melbourne VIC)
Unit: No. 467 Squadron, RAF Station Bottesford, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 467 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ED768), Belgium, 26 May 1943, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Schoonselhof Cemetery, Antwerp, Belgium
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Charles George and Ruby Violet Parsons, of Balwyn, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Merino VIC
Remembered: Panel 111, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

Date: 25-26 May 1943
Target: Dusseldorf
Total Force: Dispatched – 759, Attacking – 686
RAAF Force: No. 460 Dispatched – 19, Attacking – 19; No. 466 Dispatched – 18, Attacking – 15; No. 467 Dispatched – 20, Attacking – 18
Tons of Bombs Dropped: 1,959
Total Aircraft Lost: 27
RAAF Aircraft Lost: No. 467 – 2

During the first raid (May 25-26) heavy cloud towered to 20,000 feet over the target and bombing by the aid of sky markers was attempted, though most of the Australian crews reported that the raid was probably a failure. There was a marked absence of ground fire and no searchlight activity, which led captains to conjecture that the enemy realised that the aiming points were misplaced and was unwilling to reveal the true position of the target. Later photographic assessment showed that most of the bombs did miss the city, although a few fell in south-western suburbs. Heavy fighter opposition was offered, however, and many aircraft were shot down during their bombing runs.

Extracts from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939-1943, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1954 – Pages 489-90

Lancaster ED768 took off from RAF Bottesford at 2341 hours on the night of 25/26th May 1943 to bomb Dusseldorf, Germany. The bomb load was 1 x 4000 lb (pound) (1,800 kg) bomb, 16 x 30 lb (14 kg), 835 x 4 lb (2 kg) incendiaries. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Twenty aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid, and two of these including ED768 failed to return. Post war it was established that the aircraft crashed at Gravenwezel (Antwerpen), 11kms east north east of the centre of Antwerp, Belgium.

The crew members of ED768 were:

Sergeant Thomas Chalmers (1401894) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant John Patrick Egan (1380187) (RAFVR) (Navigator) PoW
Sergeant E A Hunt (1699818) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner) PoW
Flight Sergeant John Maxwell Parsons (409274) (Pilot)
Sergeant John Francom Selman (R/92596) (RCAF) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant Bernard Spencer (574332) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Norman Jardine Vaulkhard (1099743) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer) PoW

No. 467 Squadron lost Lancaster ED695 (Flying Officer Reginald Samuel Giddey (266157) (33425) (Pilot)) on 26 May 1943.

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, 166/32/115

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