LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Ian Albert RANDS
Service No: 410725
Born: 1 November 1919, Location unavailable
Enlisted in the RAAF: 31 January 1942 (at Melbourne VIC)
Unit: No. 57 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station East Kirkby
Died: Air Operations: (No. 57 Squadron Lancaster aircraft JB725), Denmark, 10 April 1944, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Esbjerg (Fourfelt) Cemetery, Denmark
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Alexander and Mabel Josephine Rands, of Benalla, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Ballarat VIC
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2123 hours on the night of 9 April 1944 Lancaster JB725 took off from East Kirkby detailed to carry out mine laying in the Baltic. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. When the aircraft was outbound it was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at 0025 hours on Farup Gard south of Jelling, Denmark. All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of JB725 were:
Pilot Officer Jack Finch (420553) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Francis Julian Herbert Garrick (1206061) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer Harold Edward Quinn (J/88694) (RCAF) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Ian Albert Rands (410725) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant John George Robson (1683375) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Robert Smedley (2204600) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Harry Bateman West (1517246) (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, 166/35/249