LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Kenneth WATTS
Service No: 420315
Born: Hornsby NSW, 18 May 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 October 1941
Unit: No. 56 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 56 Squadron Tempest aircraft EJ522), Germany, 29 December 1944, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Charles and Ellen May Watts, of Narrabeen North, New South Wales, Australia; husband of Judith Watts, of West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 258, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 132, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Manly ANZAC War Memorial, Manly NSW
On 29 December 1944 Flying Officer Watts in Tempest EJ522 took off leading a formation of several other Squadron aircraft to carry out an armed reconnaissance of the Rheine–Osnabruk and Hanover area. They attacked a train, results not known, and then found they were being followed by Me109s which kept making passes at them causing them to break formation. The Tempests were unable to engage the Me109s due to the Me109s superiority in height. Very shortly after a mixed force of Me109s and FW190s appeared above them and attacked. After the ensuing combat at about 1530 hours, EJ522 and Tempest EJ552 (Flight Sergeant L Jackson) were not seen or heard of again. With no trace of the missing aircraft or pilot being found following post war enquiries, it was recorded in 1950 that Flying Officer Watts had no known grave.
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
Franks, Norman L R, Royal Air Force Fighter Command Losses of the Second World War, Volume 3 Operational Losses: Aircraft and Crews 1944-1945, Midland Publishing UK, 2000
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/43/1056
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line