LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Edward John RYAN
Service No: 416459
Born: Broken Hill NSW, 24 April 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 23 June 1941 (at Adelaide SA)
Unit: No. 90 Squadron (RAF), RAF Tuddenham, Suffolk
Died: Air Operations (No. 90 Squadron Lancaster aircraft LM164), Normandy area, 8 August 1944, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: on of William Patrick and Anastasia Ryan, of Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 261, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Lancaster LM164 of No. 90 Squadron RAF took off from RAF Station Tuddenham at 2153 hours on 7 August 1944 to bomb strong points in the Normandy battle zone at Mare De Magne. LM 164 was due to return to base at 0103 hours on 8 August but it failed to return to base. Following post war enquiries and investigations, it was recorded in 1949 that the missing crew had no known grave.
The crew members of LM164 were:
Sergeant Joshiah Trevor Barber (1807492) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flying Officer Alexander Campbell Brooks (175043) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Thomas David Stoddart Cairns (1824099) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer Frederick Charles Riley (153473) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Edward John Ryan (416459) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant Harry Peer Tomlinson (1605090) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant John Charles Wiggin (1584679) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
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, 163/159/46