LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Arthur Leslie PLOWMAN
Service No: 424880
Born: Orange NSW, 27 June 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 9 October 1942
Unit: No. 207 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Spilsby
Died: Air Operations: (No. 207 Squadron Lancaster aircraft PB428), Spilsby, 11 November 1944, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Daniel and Christina Plowman, of Orange, New South Wales; husband of Enid Ruby Plowman, of Orange, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Orange NSW
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1624 hours on the night of 11 November 1944 Lancaster PB428 took off from Spilsby detailed to bomb Harburg, Germany. On return from the mission PB428 collided in the circuit area with No. 44 Squadron (RAF) Lancaster aircraft LM648 of and both aircraft crashed out of control. The crew members of both aircraft were killed.
The crew members of PB428 were:
Pilot Officer William Garnet Armour (J/92726) (RCAF) (Navigator)
Flying Officer John Albert Baker (420808) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer Augustine Frederick Cullington (51876) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant James Nugent (1895775) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Pilot Officer Arthur Leslie Plowman (424880) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant George Rye (K/251459) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer William Angus Sparks (130251) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
The crew members of LM648 were:
Flight Sergeant Dennis Sullivan Arnett (154683) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer Paul Arthur Charles Caryer (161393) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Robert Douglas Driscoll (1815438) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer Chesley Reginald Grassie (J/39373) (RCAF) (Navigator)
Sergeant Derrick Keen (2206220) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant David Lamont Mitchell (422619) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant John Routledge (1591457) (RAFVR) (Rear 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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/32/547