LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Robert George REYNOLDS
Service No: 402979
Born: Singleton NSW, 30 January 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 November 1940
Unit: No. 49 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Scampton
Died: Air Operations: (No. 49 Squadron Lancaster aircraft R5763), Belgium, 3 September 1942, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Heverlee War Cemetery, Leuven, Vlaams- Brabant, Belgium
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Robert Samuel and Laura Alice Reynolds, of Singleton, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Singleton NSW
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Singleton War Memorial, Singleton NSW
At 2314 hours on the night of 2 September 1942 Lancaster R5763 took off from Scampton detailed to bomb Karlsruhe, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at 0215 hours at Abee (Liege), 12k ms south east of Huy (Belgium). Three crew members lost their lives, three became Prisoners of war and one evaded capture.
The crew members of R5763 were:
Sergeant E Bradshaw (944855) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber) Evaded capture
Sergeant Dennis William Cane (1310192) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant William Stewart Collins (591325) (RAF) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Thomas William Hayes (1221245) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Pilot Officer Ronald George Lewis (129499) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant John Hayton Pearson (404577) (Navigator) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 26 March 1946
Sergeant Robert George Reynolds (402979) (Mid Upper Gunner)
In a PoW report Sergeant Pearson stated “The aircraft was flying at 10,000 feet over the Maas River. We were attacked by a night fighter and the starboard wing and Starboard engines shot out. The aircraft was out of control and the starboard engines and tanks were on fire. The Captain gave the preparatory and the final order to abandon and this was acknowledged. I baled out at 7,000 feet. I walked from 0200-0500 hours dark, and spent daylight in woods and walked towards Paris. I was taken in by Belgians on a farm, and then handed over to Police and a German field party.”
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, 163/156/169
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line