Date: 24/25th April 1944
Unit: No. 463 Squadron
Type: Lancaster I
Serial: LL848
Coded: JO-X
Location: Dachau
Pilot: P/O. Eric Walton Page 410171 R.A.A.F. Age: 21, Killed
Fl/Eng: Sgt. Stanley Ralph Crate 1608732 R.A.F.V.R. Age; ?, Killed
Nav: P/O. Thomas Worthington Fair J/86024 R.A.A.F. Age; 27, Killed
W/Op: F/O. John Sidney Braithwaite 411479 R.A.A.F. Age; 28, Killed
Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Edwin Ryland Brown 426302 R.A.A.F. Age; 23, Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Ronald Guile 1675093 R.A.F.V.R. Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Gordon Hughie Noakes 424570 R.A.A.F. Age; 20, Killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off at 21.05 hrs from Waddington, Lincolnshire to attack Munich. Part of a force of 249 Lancasters and 16 Mosquito's.
The flak over the target area had been enormous with a total of 49,074 flak shells fired at up to heights of 22,000 ft which accounted for 4 Lancasters being shot down.
However LL848 was shot down by Oblt. Andres Lembeke at a height of 17,000 ft and crashed Sulzemoos, near Dachau at 02.09 hrs. Oblt. Lembeke survived the war and this was his only kill.
LL848 pictured here on an earlier flight
463 Squadron Lancaster's at Waddington
Wireless Operator F/O. John Braithwaite
Burial Details:
Originally the complete crew were buried in München-Westenfriedhof but on 15th November 1947 their remains were taken to the Durnbach War Cemetery.
Eric Walton Page Durnbach War Cemetery Coll. grave 7, E.21-24
Son of Ralph Eric and Dorothy Agnes Page, of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Stanley Ralph Crate Durnbach War Cemetery Coll. grave 7, E.21-24
Son of Alfred and Annie Crate, of Fordington, Dorchester, Dorsetshire.
Thomas Worthington Fair Durnbach War Cemetery Coll. grave 7, E.21-24
Son of Thomas Worthington Fair and Anne Fair.
John Sidney Braithwaite Durnbach War Cemetery Coll. grave 7, E.21-24
Son of Sidney Michael and Anne Elizabeth, of Griffith, New South Wales, Australia.
Edwin Ryland Brown Durnbach War Cemetery Coll. grave 7, E.21-24
Son of James Ernest Herbert and Sylvia Jessie, of Hamilton, Queensland, Australia.
Ronald Guile Durnbach War Cemetery Coll. grave 7, E.21-24
No further details as yet.
Gordon Hughie Noakes Durnbach War Cemetery Coll. grave 7, E.21-24
Son of Charles and Annie Noakes, of Bedgerebong, New South Wales, Australia.
With thanks to Mike Harrison for further information supplied, also to the following: Bill Chorley - "Bomber Command Losses Vol 3", Theo Boiten - "German Nightfighter War Diaries Vol 2", Martin Middlebrook "Bomber Command War Diaries" The Commonwealth Graves Commission.
