LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Alexander Douglas RILEY
Service No: 3717
Born: Granville NSW, 27 January 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 3 October 1938 (at RAAF Station Richmond NSW)
Unit: No. 467 Squadron, RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 463 Squadron Lancaster aircraft DV378), Germany, 30 January 1944, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur Cecil and Georgina Riley; husband of M. E. Riley, of McMahon’s Point, New South Wales, Australia.
Roll of Honour: North Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 111, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Date: 30-31 January 1944
Target: Berlin
Total Force: Dispatched – 540, Attacking – 489
RAAF Force: No. 460 Dispatched – 12, Attacking – 12; No. 463 Dispatched – 14, Attacking – 13; No. 466 Dispatched – 12, Attacking – 6; No. 467 Dispatched – 10, Attacking – 10
Tons of Bombs Dropped: 1,961
Total Aircraft Lost: 33
RAAF Aircraft Lost: No. 463 – 4; No. 467 – 1
The importance of striking again before this conflagration died down led next night to another maximum strength attack, although the force had to operate in moon conditions which favoured German fighters. Six Halifaxes of No. 466 returned early to base because of unserviceable equipment, but the Lancasters had no difficulty in reaching Berlin. Cloud had once more sheeted the target but with abundant fighter flares, moonlight and the reflection of sky markers on cloud, the area appeared at times as bright as day. The section of the stream including No. 463 was persistently attacked by a group of fighters and, although one Ju-88 was damaged, the squadron lost four Lancasters. Flight Sergeant Campbell (1) of No. 467 also shot down an Me-110 outmanoeuvred by his pilot (Flight Lieutenant Simpson) but the enemy remained persistent and more fighters infiltrated the returning gaggles of bombers. Flying Officer Stevens (2) of No. 466 who had been attacked on each of his previous two trips to Berlin had to beat off attacks by three separate fighters during his return flight from this raid but by good crew drill aided by radar warning devices he again escaped with minor damage to his Halifax. Some navigators criticised the broadcast winds received during this flight, but the bombers kept well to the pre-arranged timetable and Australians described the concentration of sky markers as the best achieved for some time. Experienced crews again estimated that most of the bombs fell on Berlin, and enemy broadcasts almost immediately admitted that “extensive areas of Berlin were hit”.
(1) Warrant Officer Colin Argyle Campbell (426306) was discharged from the RAAF on 18 December 1944.
(2) Flight Lieutenant John Humphries Stevens DFC (416802) was discharged from the RAAF on 6 September 1945.
Extracts from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939-1943, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1954 – Pages 643, 645-6
Lancaster DV378 took off from RAF Waddington at 1712 hours on the night of 30/31st January 1944 to bomb Berlin. Bomb load 1 x 4000 lb (pound) (1,800 kg), 64 x 30 lb (14 kg), 1200 x 4 lb (2 kg) incendiaries. Nothing was heard from DV378 after take off and the aircraft did not return to base. Ten aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and one of these DV378 failed to return. Post war it was established that the aircraft exploded following a direct hit from flak and crashed in the target area.
The crew members of DV378 were:
Sergeant Norman William Allen (658419) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Warrant Officer II Clifford Stanley Baker (R/146764) (RCAF) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Fred Barrett (1516278) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer John Nixon (171083) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Flying Officer Alexander Douglas Riley (3717) (Pilot)
Sergeant Sidney Webb Tupper (1607041) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Warrant Officer K J Valastin (R/187055) (RCAF) (Bomb Aimer) PoW
In a later statement Warrant Officer Valastin said “I was beside Flying Officer Riley in part of the aircraft which received direct fire from the enemy. I myself was hit but have no definite knowledge as to whether he was hit. A few seconds later the aircraft went into a spin. He was still in his position when I was preparing to bale out and when the aircraft exploded. I was informed two weeks later by an unknown German officer at Dulag Luft that Flying Officer Riley had been killed.”
No. 463 Squadron lost Lancaster ED949 (Flying Officer Douglas Chapman Dunn (416418) (Pilot)) on 30 January 1944.
No. 463 Squadron lost Lancaster ED772 (Flying Officer George Laurie Messenger (411652) (Pilot)) on 30 January 1944.
No. 463 Squadron lost Lancaster JA973 Pilot Officer Peter Edward Hanson (415528) (Pilot)) on 30 January 1944.
No. 463 Squadron lost Lancaster ED545 (Pilot Officer Lindsay Samuel Fairclough (415412) (Pilot)) on 30 January 1944.
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, 166/35/212