Archive Report: Allied Forces

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21/22.06.1944 No. 467 Squadron Lancaster III ED532 P/O. Edgar V. Dearnaley DFC

Operation: Scholven-Buer, Germany

Date: 21/22nd June 1944 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit: 467 Squadron

Type: Lancaster III

Serial No: ED532

Code: PO-H

Base: RAF Waddingon

Location: Sundern

Pilot: P/O. Edgar Vincent Dearnaley DFC. AUS/414341 RAAF Age 22. Killed

Pilot 2: P/O. Jack Mitchell AUS/60895 RAAF Age 22. Killed

Fl/Eng: Fl/Sgt. Samuel Henry Dennis Breedon 948979 RAFVR Age 23. Killed

Nav: P/O. Gladstone Arthur A'Court AUS/418496 RAAF Age 23. Killed

Air/Bmr: Sgt. Joseph Edward Emmett 1041920 RAFVR Age ? Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Rowland McPherson Hill AUS/409919 RAAF Age 21. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Roy Trevethan 1852878 RAFVR Age 19. Killed

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Ronald John Carlill AUS/429176  RAAF Age 23. Killed

Reason For Loss:

Lancaster ED532 took off at 23:02 hours from RAF Waddingon to bomb the synthetic oil plant at Scholven-Buer. 

The Lancaster was shot down by anti aircraft fire (1) crashing at Sundern. A total of 12,669 A/A shells were reported to have been fired resulting in 8 aircraft being shot down during this raid. 

(1) Some publications state that ED532 was shot down by night-fighters.

Left: P/O. Edgar Vincent Dearnaley DFC

Crash Investigation Report:

German records state that at 01:42 hours on the night of 21/21st June 1944 a Lancaster aircraft was shot down by IV Flak Division, 3 Kilometres South West of Haltern. It caught fire when it crashed and 7 crew members killed. 

This cemetery contained some 46 bodies and previous cases have shown the records to be most reliable, the cemetery register not having been disproved. It is recommended that these identities are accepted with the unknown being Pilot Officer Mitchell. Field investigations will be carried out if Air Ministry are unable to accept the Cemetery record but the only positive information brought to light on exhumation were discs showing 418946 A'Court as being in grave 34 which once again agrees with the cemetery record and the cross, in view of the reliability of these particular records, it is recommended that the identities and reburial details in Reichswald Forest British Military Cemetery be accepted.

Burial Details:

P/O. Edgar Vincent Dearnaley DFC. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany. Grave 12.E.6. Son of Edgar Samuel and Katie Rosina Dearnaley, of Ascot, Queensland, Australia. Born on 29th October 1921. Enlisted into the Royal Australian Air Force at Brisbane.

P/O. Jack Mitchell. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany. Grave 12.E.4. Son of Joseph Henry and Dorothy Elizabeth Mitchell, of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Born 2nd June 1922 at Newcastle, New South Wales. A university engineering student. On enlistment at No 2 Recruiting Centre at Sydney - attended No 2 Initial Training Centre at Bradfield Park.

Right: P/O. Jack Mitchell

Fl/Sgt. Samuel Henry Dennis Breedon. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany. Grave 12.E.5.  Son of Henry Breedon, and of Elsie Breedon, Of Pickburn, Yorkshire, England.

P/O. Gladstone Arthur A'Court. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany. Grave 12.E.2. Son of Arthur John and May Elizabeth A'Court, of East Kew, Victoria, Australia.

Fl/Sgt. Rowland McPherson Hill. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany. Grave 12.E.8. Son of Henry Rowland Hill and Hannah Victoria Hill, of St Kilda,Victoria, Australia. Born 7th November 1922 at Carlton, Victoria. Enlisted at Melbourne.

Sgt. Joseph Edward Emmett. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany. Grave 12.E.3. Son of James Henry and Mary Elisabeth Emmett.

Sgt. Roy Trevethan. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery,Germany. Grave 12.E.7. Son of Leslie Charles and Winifred Mabel Trevethen, of St.Issey, Cornwall.

Fl/Sgt. Ronald John Carlill. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany. Grave 12.E.1. Son of Archibald Oswald and Ruby Millicent Carlill, of Punchbowl, New South Wales, Australia. Born on 5th December 1920 at Marrickville, New South Wales. Enlisted into the Royal Australian Air Force at Sydney.

Initial research by Bob Wilton for Aircrew Remembered. Sources as quoted below.

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