LEST WE FORGET

Pilot Officer James Karl SOMERS

Service No: 411398
Born: Crookwell NSW, 5 June 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 28 April 1941
Unit: No. 166 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Kirmington
Died: Air Operations: (No. 166 Squadron Wellington aircraft HE924), Netherlands, 22 June 1943, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Gelderland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James Walter and Claris Somers, of Drummoyne, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Drummoyne NSW
Remembered: Panel 130, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

At 2341 hours on the night of 21/22 June 1943 Wellington HE924 took off from Kirmington detailed to bomb Krefeld, 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 0149 hours near Haelen (Limburg), 6 miles north west of Roermond, Netherlands. All the crew members were killed.

The crew members of HE924 were:

Flight Sergeant Arthur Burgess (1382415) (RAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant Eric Jeffs (1303397) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant William Francis Payne (1150780) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Pilot Officer James Karl Somers (411398) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer George Roland Wright (148758) (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, 166/38/187

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