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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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460 Squadron Crest
31.10/01.11.1944 460 Squadron RAAF, Lancaster III PB567 AR:U Fg Off. Edward F. Reid DFC

Operation: Cologne (Köln), Germany

Date: 31st October/1st November 1944 (Tuesday/Wednesday)

Unit No: 460 Squadron RAAF, 1 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Lancaster III

Serial: PB567

Code: AR:U

Base: RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire

Location: SW of Cologne (Köln)

Pilot: Fg Off. Edward Forbes Reid DFC, 427044 RAAF Age 21. KiA (1)

Flt Eng: Sgt. John Haley 1127618 RAFVR Age 24. KiA

Nav: Plt Off. Arthur Francis Emery DFC, 424263 RAAF Age 18. KiA (2)

Bomb Aimer: Fg Off. Maxwell Alfred Flory 422943 RAAF Age 21. MiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. Robert Henry Royes 434018 RAAF Age 21. KiA

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. Raymond Charles Coley 1895090 RAFVR Age 20. MiA

Air Gnr (Rear): Flt Sgt. Mervyn Marshall 427527 RAAF Age 20. KiA

Above left, Fg Off. Reid DFC and right Fg Off. Flory (From their service records)


Page sponsored by Wg Cdr. (Ret) Terry Adcock and family - relatives of Sgt. Raymond Charles Coley. Any relatives of the crew are welcome to contact us with further information.


REASON FOR LOSS:

493 aircraft were detailed to bomb Cologne - with 23 from 460 Squadron. 331 Lancasters, 144 Halifaxes and 18 Mosquitoes taking part. 15 other Mosquitoes carried out a feint attack just prior to the main raid.

The night fighters were alerted but incredibly not able to locate the allied bombers who bombed the target area. Most of the bombs falling short on the southern district of the city. It was an Oboe led raid with bombing through thick cloud.

An ammunition train was blown up in the area of Klettenburg with the loss of some 98 Germans - along with some other foreign nationals, although that number is not recorded.

Taking off at 18:02 hrs from RAF Binbrook, nothing further was heard from the crew. The loss of PB567 is unexplained as no Flak or night-fighter claims have been found. PB567 was the only bomber lost on this mission albeit one Mosquito was lost to Flak and another bomber crashed landed in Allied held territory.


Additionally another Lancaster was nearly lost after being hit by incendiary bombs from above:

Lancaster III FB255 AR:X Flown by 21 year old, Fg Off. Keith Warren Finlay DFC 427190 RAAF (shown below) was hit by an incendiary bomb, killing the mid upper gunner 23 year old, Sgt. Robert Duff 1372916 RAFVR and injuring the WOp/Air Gnr. Sgt. Frank Alford D'Alton.

The pilot managed to return to base landing at 23:20 hrs. Keith Finlay DFC retired as a Flt Lt. on the 17th December 1945. Frank D'Alton recovered from his wounds and returned to service.

Sgt. Robert Duff. Markinch Cemetery (St. Drostan's). Compt. F. Grave 140. Grave inscription: "AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER THEM". Son of Robert and Margaret Duff and husband of Helen Duff, of Methilhill, Fife, Scotland.


(1) The DFC was awarded posthumously to acting Fg Off. Reid whilst with 460 Sqn (London Gazette 29th June 1945).

Citation: “Pilot Officer EMERY ably displayed the utmost fortitude, courage and devotion to duty”.

(2) The DFC was awarded posthumously to Fg Off. Emery whilst with 460 Sqn (London Gazette 11th December 1945).

Citation: “Flying Officer Reid, as pilot, has completed numerous operations against the enemy in the course of which he has invariably displayed the utmost fortitude courage and devotion to duty”.

The Arthur Francis Emery’s birth date shown was declared on enlisting. His actual birth date is the 29th December 1925, making him just 16 years old when enlisting in the RAAF. In addition, many postings on the internet state that he survived the crash only to be murdered by civilians or others whilst trying to evade. No evidence has been found to substantiate these claims.

Burial details:

The crew were recovered from the Hürth Communal Cemetery, 8 km (5 mls) to the SW of Köln (Cologne), and laid to rest at the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery on the 6th February 1947.

Fg Off. Edward Forbes Reid DFC. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Grave 1.F.9. Grave inscription: "HIS DUTY FEARLESSLY AND NOBLY DONE". Born on the 13th July 1923 at Leederville. Son of Herbert Albert and Charlotte Elizabeth Reid of 8 Brighton Street, Leederville, Western Australia.

Sgt. John Haley. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Grave 2.K.13. Grave inscription: "LORD HE WAS THINE, NOT MINE. I THANK YOU FOR THE PREVIOUS LOAN AFFORDED ME SO LONG". Son of William and Edith Haley, of West Bowling, Yorkshire, England.

Plt Off. Arthur Francis Emery DFC. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Grave 2.K.15. Grave inscription: "DUTY NOBLY DONE". Born on the 29th November 1923 in Bristol, England. Son of Charles Harold and Edith Grace Emery of 11 Eden Crescent, Auckland City, New Zealand.

Fg Off. Maxwell Alfred Flory. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 257. Born on the 2nd December 1923 at West Maitland, New South Wales. Son of Alfred George and Ethel Rosanna Flory, of Lakemba, New South Wales, Australia.

Flt Sgt. Robert Henry Royes. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Grave 2.K.16. Born on the 14th June 1923 at Brisbane, Queensland. Grave inscription: "BELOVED ONLY SON OF LILIAN AND BATHURST ROYES. LOVINGLY REMEMBERED". Son of Bathurst Hougham Royes and Lilian Marie Royes of 37 Leicester Street, Coorparoo, Queensland, Australia.

Sgt. Raymond Charles Coley. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 227. Son of Frederick Abram Coley and Ellen Gertrude Coley (née Hassell), of 58, Lord Street, Palfrey, Walsall, Staffordshire, England.

Flt Sgt. Mervyn Marshall. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Grave 2.K.14. Born on the 20th November 1923 at Subiaco. Grave inscription: "HIS DUTY FEARLESSLY AND NOBLY DONE. ALWAYS IN MY HEART". Son of William John and Elsie Barker Marshall, of 99 Alma Road, North Perth, Western Australia.

Researched by Kelvin Youngs (Webmaster) and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to the research by Errol Martyn and his publications: “For Your Tomorrow Vols. 1-3”, Auckland War Memorial Museum, Australian National Archives, grave photographs courtesy Mitch Buiting and Des Philippet (Jul 2019). Thanks to Maurice Kissane for the image of Fg Off. Flory (Oct 2024). Reviewed and updated by Aircrew Remembered (Oct 2024).

Other sources listed below:

RS 21.10.2024 - New images and information added

Pages of Outstanding Interest
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CWGC: Your Relative's Grave Explained •  USA Flygirls •  Axis Awards Descriptions •  'Lack Of Moral Fibre'
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RAAF Bomb Aimer Evades with Maquis •  SOE Heroine Nancy Wake •  Fane: Motor Racing PRU Legend
Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and Captain François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Andrew Mielnik: Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Polish graves: https://niebieskaeskadra.pl/, PoW Museum Żagań, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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