LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Robert William SINDEN
Service No: 421133
Born: Cooma NSW, 20 April 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 7 December 1941
Unit: No. 97 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Bourn
Died: Air Operations: (No. 97 Squadron Lancaster aircraft JB221), Germany, 26 November 1943, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Durnbach War Cemetery, Bad Tolz, Bayern Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Norman and Ruby Isabelle Elsie Sinden, of Gosford, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Taree NSW
Remembered: Panel 130, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 0030 hours on the morning of 26 November 1943 Lancaster JB221 took off from Bourn detailed to bomb Frankfurt, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft exploded in the air and crashed at Brandau, 10 kms south east of Darmstadt, Germany, and all the crew members were killed.
The crew members of JB221 were:
Flying Officer Harry Charles Aley (J/21609) (RCAF) (Air Bomber)
Flight Lieutenant Carlos Manuel Brown, Croix de Guerre (France) (J/20377) (RCAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant David Henry William Little (1398493) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Robert William Sinden (421133) (Rear Gunner)
Pilot Officer George Smith (53583) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Bernard Frederick Tutt (1384140) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Thomas Watson (161042) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
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, 166/37/254