LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant Colin William TAYLOR

Service No: 420406
Born: Bathurst NSW, 21 February 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 7 November 1941
Unit: No. 49 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Fiskerton
Died: Air Operations: (No. 49 Squadron Lancaster aircraft LM337), France, 16 August 1943, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Cheronvilliers Churchyard, Eure, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of George and Harriet Margaret Taylor, of Enfield, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Enfield NSW
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

At 2031 hours on the night of 15 August 1943 Lancaster LM337 took off from Fiskerton to bomb Milan, Italy. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. It was later established that the aircraft when homebound was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed at
0245 hours near Cheronvilliers (Eure), 5 kms south south east of Rugles, France. Five of the crew members were killed and two evaded capture and returned safely to England.

The crew members of LM337 were:

Pilot Officer Leslie Warren Gospel (147359) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Herbert Hedge (1212184) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Archie Edwin Huntingford (1396068) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Ronald James (614587) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant S J V Philo (1319259) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber) Evaded capture
Flight Sergeant Colin William Taylor (420406) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Pilot Officer C H Witheridge (J/18680) (RCAF) (Navigator) Evaded capture

In a later report Sergeant Philo stated “after a sudden lurching of the aircraft near Chartres at 17,000 feet, the Captain ordered bale out, I heard the Rear Gunner and Flight Sergeant Taylor acknowledge the order, and I then baled out, losing consciousness during the descent. I have no information about the fate of the others.”

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, 166/39/112

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