LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant David Lawson WALLACE
Service No: 415060
Born: Edinburgh Scotland, 5 May 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 23 June 1941 (at Perth WA)
Unit: No. 156 Squadron (RAF), RAF Warboys, Cambridgeshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 156 Squadron Lancaster aircraft W4943), Netherlands, 28 May 1943, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Ede General Cemetery, Gelderland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Thomas Ford Wallace and Isabella Miller Wallace, of Perth, Western Australia.
Roll of Honour: Inglewood WA
Remembered: Panel 132, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
Remembered: Honour Avenues, kings Park WA
Lancaster W4943 took off from RAF Warboys at 2312 hours on the night of 27 May 1943, detailed to bomb Essen, 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 Otterloo (Gelderland), 10 kms north east of Ede, Holland. Three crew members were killed and four became Prisoners of War.
The crew members of W4943 were:
Sergeant Thomas Hubert Harvey (1391148) (RAFVR) (Navigator) PoW
Sergeant Reginald James Jackson (1172279) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Flight Sergeant Hilton Arthur Lister (415538) (RNZAF) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant William Harrison Moore (1213493) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) PoW
Flight Sergeant David Ross (412844) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Rowland James Twinn (1386995) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber) PoW
Flight Sergeant David Lawson Wallace (415060) (Pilot)
In a PoW report Sergeant Twinn stated “The aircraft was shot down by flak plus a JU88 which claimed us. I believe Lister was killed in the first burst. Ross lost his nerve and refused to bale out. Wallace refused to abandon the aircraft and attempted to land. Verbal orders were given by the Navigator to bale out, as we had no communication with the Skipper. Harvey and Moore were PoWs with me. Lost contact with Jackson when we started to march on April 8th 1945. Landed about 20 miles south of Arnhem. Captured after three days.”
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, 166/43/212