Australian Deaths in the RAAF/RAF. How did they occur? Azores JOHNSON, JAMES GEOFFREY Pilot Officer 408252 220sq 4/12/1943 20 Royal Australian Air Force Australian Row A. Grave 6. LAJES WAR CEMETERY Azores Terceira-Praia RYAN, NEVILLE VINCENT Warrant Officer 422812 220sq 8/03/1945 20 Royal Australian Air Force Australian Row B. Grave 10. LAJES WAR CEMETERY Azores Terceira-Praia
Copy of post by Dave Barlow moved to its own thread. MORE INFO + CREW LIST - JOHNSON, JAMES GEOFFREY / Pilot Officer / 408252 / 220sqn Azores As a counter-point, PLTOFF Johnson’s personnel file (letter from the RAAF casualty section to the family) states: “The Flying Fortress aircraft in which he was flying as Navigator, took off at 3.26 a.m. on 4th December, 1943, and was engaged on night anti-submarine sweep. When the aircraft reached a point two miles from the end of the runway it turned to starboard, and either dived or stalled to the sea. It was not possible to determine the cause of the crash, and I regret to state that all members of the crew lost their lives.” This isn’t to say that the info in the Stitt book is incorrect, I have seen examples of letters in other files with notes similar to “don’t mention the onboard fire prior to the crash”. It’s possible that it sounded better to state the aircraft was on a mission as compared to on its way to a scheduled servicing. (NB – PLTOFF Pearce’s file states he was on a non-operational flight) The file lists Johnson as a Flight Sergeant at the time of his death, however, his commissioning as a Pilot Officer was promulgated shortly after the crash with an effective date of August 1943. Also in his file is a copy of the (very faded) crew list and crash report (the name of the Pilot - D E. Morris is readable). Of the eight crew on board, there was four RAF, two Royal Canadian Air Force and two Royal Australian Air Force. The file for PLTOFF Pearce advises that only the bodies of Johnson and the two Canadians (Flack & Boudreault) were recovered. These three are buried together in The Azores. The other five crew members are commemorated on the Runnymede memorial according to the CWGC. MORRIS, DESMOND EDWARD – (Flying Officer - RAF) Service Number - 152320 (marked in one part of the file as 132320 FLGOFF MOMPIS) MORRISON, ROBERT NOEL – (Flight Sergeant - RAF) Service Number – 1192004 LAWSON HAROLD – (Pilot Officer- RAF) Service Number – 140612 (149612) PEARCE ARTHUR – (Pilot Officer- RAAF) Service Number – 406868 (PLTOFF PEARCE AHM KINNOT TO FOLLOW) FLACK, CARL THOMAS – (Warrant Officer - RCAF) Service Number – R121119 (R 121419) BOUDREAULT, JOSEPH EDOUARD ROCH – (Warrant Officer - RCAF) Service Number – R125388 (marked in one part of the file as BOUDREARLT J E R) CAMPION, MICHAEL PATRICK – (Flight Sergeant - RAF) Service Number – 536151 (marked in one part of the file as 536451 FSGT CAMPTON) Wt. Offr. Campion in 1940 was awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal, which was automatically exchanged for the George Cross by the terms of the institution of that award in September 1940. The London Gazette of 5th July, 1940, gives the following details: L.A.C. Michael Campion displayed great courage in rescuing an unconscious pilot from an aircraft which caught fire as the result of a collision between two Blenheim aircraft while taking off. Aircraftman Campion was one of the first to arrive on the scene. With Aircraftman Frost, he worked heroically, despite the imminent danger of the petrol tanks exploding, and extricated the pilot from the burning wreck. Shortly afterwards the petrol tanks exploded and the whole aircraft was rapidly burnt out. Unfortunately the pilot died later.
MORE INFO + CREW LIST - RYAN, NEVILLE VINCENT / Warrant Officer / 422812 / 220sqn Azores Besides Ryan we have the following on 220SQN "Liberator aircraft KG913 which crashed on take-off from RAF Lagens at 05.54 hrs on Thursday 6th March": MUNCE, IAN LINDSAY – (Pilot Officer); Service Number – 186936 BENCE, LESLIE JOHN – (Flight Sergeant); Service Number – 1159989 LARONDE, HARRY DEMERSE – (Flying Officer); Service Number – J36819 RCAF DODD, ALAN DOWSON – (Sergeant); Service Number – 1671632 SMITH E E – (Flight Sergeant); Service Number – 1533556 DOBBIE H R – (Flight Sergeant); Service Number – R223182 RCAF EVANS, FREDERICK CHARLES DOREY – (Flight Sergeant); Service Number – 1605452 (246SQN) HERRING, RONALD GEORGE – (Sergeant); Service Number – 1895730 REEVE, GEORGE ARTHUR – (Sergeant); Service Number – 3006273 I can’t find Smith and Dobbie on the CWGC site, maybe they survived the crash. The other eight are all are buried together in The Azores. (Aircraft crash info from Ryan's pers file)
