LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant John William Van COOTEN
Service No: 426716
Born: Sandgate QLD, 13 February 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 18 July 1942
Unit: No. 115 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Witchford
Died: Air Operations: (No. 115 Squadron Lancaster aircraft HK559), France, 18 June 1944, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Gannes Communal Cemetery, Oise, France
CWGC Additional Information: on of William John Fraser Van Cooten and Lucy Van Cooten, of South Brisbane, Queensland. Australia
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 0102 hours on the morning 18 June 1944 Lancaster HK559 took off from Witchford detailed to bomb rail installations at Montdidier, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. A Missing Research & Enquiry team later reported “a 4 engine British plane crashed at Gannes (Oise). It was in flames before it crashed and exploded on impact. The aircraft went in almost vertical and at great speed.” All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of HK559 were:
Sergeant Douglas Albert Dawson (574270) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Warrant Officer Peter Duff (1059197) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Sergeant Kenneth Edgar Loxton (1816757) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Ian Harrison Smith (423913) (Navigator)
Sergeant Ernest Edwin Stapley (1896471) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Pilot Officer John Alan Traill (423186) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant John William Van Cooten (426716) (Air Bomber)
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, 166/42/69