LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Geoffrey Lloyd WELLS
Service No: 404077
Born: Brisbane QLD, 26 June 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 10 May 1940
Unit: No. 99 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Waterbeach
Died: Air Operations: (No. 99 Squadron Wellington aircraft X9700), Netherlands, 17 August 1941, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Gelderland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Henry Leslie and Elsie Irene Wells, of Auchenflower, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 132, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2334 hours on the night of 16 August 1941Wellington X9700 took off from Waterbeach to bomb Duisberg, 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 0215 hours at Roggell (Limburg), 9 kms north-west of Roermond. Five of the crew members were killed and one was taken prisoner.
The crew members of X9700 were:
Pilot Officer William Aloysius Casey (J/3270) (RCAF) (Observer)
Sergeant Gerald Crane (1181874) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Norman Dotchin (101480) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot)
Flying Officer Geoffrey Lloyd Wells (404077) (Pilot)
Sergeant R M Williams (912087) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant Frederick Walter York (952493) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
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, 163/63/86
Bibliography:
Ilbery, P.L.T. (Peter Leslie Thomas) (422957) Hatching an Air Force: 2SFTS, 5SFTS, 1BFTS Uranquinty and Wagga Wagga, Banner Books Maryborough QLD 4650, 2002