LEST WE FORGET

Flying Officer Henry Thomas WARD

Service No: 418599
Born: Malvern VIC, 23 April 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 23 May 1942
Unit: No. 97 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Coningsby
Died: Air Operations (No. 97 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ND764), over France, 11 May 1944, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Thomas Greening Ward and Annie Emma Olivia Ward, of Burwood, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Ashburton VIC
Remembered: Panel 132, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

At 0025 hours on the morning of 11 May 1944 Lancaster ND764 took off from Coningsby detailed to bomb rail facilities at Lille, France. While returning from the mission the aircraft was engaged by heavy predicted anti-aircraft fire at a height of 9,000 feet. The first shell burst quite close to the mid upper turret killing the Mid Upper Gunner (Flying Officer Ward). The next few shells burst fairly close to the aircraft and did further damage to the intercom, the Dead Reckoning compass and the elevator controls. The aircraft returned safely to base.

The crew members of ND764 were:

Flight Sergeant J D Hadlington (103266) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Sergeant L G G Mayhew (975391) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Pilot Officer F D Roberts (173674) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer H Ross (RAF) (Air Bomber)
Flight Lieutenant W M Walton (156103) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flying Officer Henry Thomas Ward (418599) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant W Williams (994884) (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, 166/43/669

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