LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer Bertram Forbes WEBER
Service No: 434068
Born: Stanthorpe QLD, 17 November 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 9 October 1942
Unit: No. 467 Squadron, RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 467 Squadron Lancaster aircraft PB 306), Germany, 2 February 1945, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Durnbach War Cemetery, Bad Tolz, Bayern, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Bertram George and Jean Christina Weber, of Texas, Queensland, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Texas QLD
Remembered: Panel 111, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
No. 5 Group’s first contribution to the new campaign against enemy communications was a raid on 1st-2nd February by 271 Lancasters against the town and marshalling yards at Siegen, another new target to the east of Cologne. … The following night at Karlsruhe No. 463 lost one crew and No. 467 two, in addition to three members ordered to bale out of a burning Lancaster (1) before the fire was extinguished and its captain was able to fly it safely back to base .
(1) No. 467 Squadron Lancaster PD 231 (Flying Officer Keith Roy Swain DFC (427485) (Pilot))
Extract from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Over Europe 1944-1945, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1963 – Page 412
Lancaster PB306 took off from RAF Waddington at 1951 hours on the night of 2 February 1945 to bomb Karlsruhe, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Nineteen aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and two of these including PB 306 failed to return. In a report by the Missing, Research and Enquiry Service operating in Germany post war it reported that an inspection of German documents and other investigations established that the aircraft was shot down and crashed near Karlsdoff on 2 February 1945. Karlsdoff is a village approximately 12 miles north east of Karlsruhe.
The crew members of PB306 were:
Flight Sergeant Frederick Jack Bean (430920) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Phillip John Carter (435334) (Air Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Noel Caesar Sidney Colley (130650) (RAF) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Frank Edgar Everatt (427311) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant Dennis George Howdle (1866651) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer James Magnus Inkster (432191) (Second Pilot)
Pilot Officer Allan Harry Pearce (428480) (Bomb Aimer)
Warrant Officer Bertram Forbes Weber (434068) (Navigator)
No. 463 Squadron lost Lancaster ME290 (Flying Officer Richard Kay Oliver (429124) (Pilot)) on 2 February 1945.
No. 467 Squadron lost Lancaster LM100 (Flying Officer Alton Neil Goulburn Robinson (422885) (Pilot)) on 2 February 1945.
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 A705,166/43/1132