Operation: Harborg, Germany

Date: 11th/12th November 1944 (Saturday/Sunday)

Unit No: 207 Squadron, 5 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Lancaster III

Serial: PB428

Code: EM:T

Base: RAF Spilsby, Lincolnshire

Location: Bratoft, nr. Skegness, England

Pilot: Fg Off. William Angus 'Peter' Sparks 130251 RAFVR Age 25. Killed

Flt Eng: Fg Off. Augustine Frederick Cullington 51876 RAF Age 24. Killed

Nav: Flt Sgt. Wilton Garnet Armour R173640 RCAF Age 22. Killed

Bomb Aimer: Fg Off. John Albert Baker 420808 RAAF Age 27. Killed

WOp/Air Gnr: Plt Off. Arthur Leslie Plowman 424880 RAAF Age 27. Killed

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. James Nugent 1895775 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

Air Gnr (Rear): Flt Sgt. George Rye K251459 RCAF Age 19. Killed

Above: Flt Sgt. Wilton G. Armour and Fg Off. John A. Baker from their Service Records

Above Plt Off. Arthur L. Plowman and Flt Sgt. George Rye from their Service Records

REASON FOR LOSS

Taking off at 16:24 hrs from RAF Spilsby, Lincolnshire to bomb the Rhenania-Ossag oil refinery that the USAAF had previously attacked in daylight operations, but was still operating. 237 Lancasters with 8 Mosquitoes bombing the area with reports that the residential and some industrial ares were hit but the reports did no mention the actual factory. 119 people were killed on the ground with 5,205 bombed out of their homes.

Lancaster PB428 collided with Lancaster III LM648 on return to base from operations that night. PB428 was making a wide circuit and approaching the funnels when it collided with LM648 which had been given permission to land 2 minutes earlier and would normally have been approaching the crosswind position. Neither of the Lancasters were visible from the Control Tower.

All 14 crew from both aircraft perished in this tragic accident

A Court of Inquiry was convened, however, the outcome and recommendations are not known at this time.

No 1 Initial Training School, Somers, Victoria.

Back row, left to right: 420808 Fg Off. John Albert Baker; 420023 Sgt. Colin Cameron Martin (died in an accident in Australia on 27 March 1943); 420839 AC2. Norman Rex Mitchell; unidentified; 410139 Fg Off. Frederick St John Bennett; 420813 Flt Lt. Frank Hercules Dengate; 410185 LAC. Roland Bruce Walker; and 420030 Flt Lt. Keith McChesney.

Second row: 410151 WO. Clifford James Edsall; 410193 Flt Sgt. Charles Clement (killed during operations over France on 10 June 1944); 410157 WO. John Bertram Goldie; 420091 Fg Off. Aubrey James (Honest Abe) White (killed during operations over UK on 14 August 1943; Haughten (not further identified); 410146 Fg Off. Frank George Calder; 410162 WO. Noel Frederick (Mustard) Keens; 410202 Flt Lt. Roger John Evans; and 420829 Fg Off. Jack Sheldon Clark.

Third row: 420066 Flt Sgt. Leonard George Sellen (died in an accident in Scotland on 14 August 1943); 420816 Flt Sgt. Leslie Joyce (killed during operations over UK on 19 November 1943); 410194 LAC. Francis Lisle Harris; unidentified; 410143 WO. Beamish Gore Brett; 410178 Fg Off. Edward Dennis Stott; unidentified; 410148 WO. Reuben Kent Davey; unidentified; 409800 Cpl. Maxwell David McClure.

Front row: 33114 Flt Sgt. Thomas William Boyce; 410175 WO. Leslie Charles Sharp; J Johnson; 409658 WO. Stuart David Black; 410297 WO. Claude Lionel Beckett; 410170 Fg Off. Francis John Harris; 410172 Air Cmdr. Edward Thomas Pickerd; 420821 LAC. Alwyn Clayton (Wizard) Thomas; 410181 Fg Off. Richard Frank Oldmeadow; L Jennings; 410112 Fg Off. Albert Irving (Bert) Wiggins; 410164 WO. Arthur Charles Lobb (Ranks shown are later promotions - courtesy AWM)

Group portrait of recently graduated Bomber Command Wireless Operators from their course at Dumfries, Scotland. Three of these men later became Special Duty Operators (SDOs) using radio jamming equipment, code named Airborne Cigar, (ABC), with 101 Squadron.

Back row: Fl/Sgt. Marsh, RAAF; 419480 Fg Off. John Earlom Plympton, RAAF; Sgt. Staunton-Smith; 424880, Plt Off. Arthur Leslie Plowman, RAAF, of Orange, NSW. Flt Sgt. Plowman enlisted at Sydney, NSW, on 9 October 1942 and was posted to 207 Sqn, RAF. He was later killed on operations on 11 November 1944.

Centre row: Sgt. Bill Kelly, RAAF; Flt Sgt. Hardacre, RAAF, later with 101 Sqn, RAF; Flt Sgt. Cowell, RAAF, later killed on operations; Sgt. Ware, RAAF; 424409 Flt Sgt. John Donald Hance, RAAF, of North Sydney, NSW. Formerly a sales clerk, Flt Sgt Hance enlisted at Sydney, NSW on 12 September 1942 and he was posted to 15 Sqn, RAF. He was later killed whilst on flying operations over Germany on 5 November 1944, aged 23 years; 419700 Flt Sgt. Ronald Sutton Camier, RAAF, originally of East St Kilda, Vic. Flt Sgt. Camier enlisted at Melbourne, Vic, on 12 September 1942 and he was posted to 90 Sqn, RAF. He was later killed whilst on flying operations over North West Europe on 13 August 1944, aged 20 years; 424428 Fg Off. Adrian Montague Marks, RAAF; Flt Sgt. Eric Henry, RAAF.

Front row: Flt Sgt. Alston, RAAF; Flt Sgt. Dutch, RAAF; Flt Sgt. Baldwin enlisted at Melbourne, Victoria, on 9 October 1942 and was posted to 17 Operational Training RAF. He was later killed in an accident on 17 March 1944. RAAF; Flt Sgt. Rawling, RAAF; Flt Sgt. Elger; WO. Trimble, RAAF; Flt Sgt. Crapp, RAAF; 417604 Flt Sgt. Ernest Hugo 'Snowie' Traeger, RAAF, later with 101 Sqn, RAF. Formerly an orchardist, Flt Sgt. Traeger enlisted at Adelaide, SA, on 9 June 1942 and he was posted to 101 Sqn, RAF, as an SDO. He was later killed whilst on flying operations over Germany on 31 March 1944, aged 32 years. (photo courtesy AWM)

Burial details:

Fg Off. William Angus ‘Peter’ Sparks. Barking (Riverside) Cemetery, Sec. H. Grave 1708. Grave Inscription: ‘IN EVERLOVING MEMORY OF MY BELOVED HUSBAND "PETER" ALWAYS IN MY HEART. GAY AND BABY PETA’. Born on the 25th May 1920 in Bristol, Avon. Son of William Alfred John and Gladys Mary (née Sutherland) Sparks. Husband of Doris Gaynor (née Hatchings) Sparks of Bognor Regis, Sussex, England.

Fg Off. Augustine Frederick Cullington. Liverpool (Ford) Roman Catholic Cemetery, Sec. T.W. Grave 81. Born on the 30th December 1919 in Everton, Lancashire. Son of Augustine Beuno and Lilian (née Banner) Cullington of Seaforth, Liverpool, England. Husband of Margery Cullington.

Plt Off. Wilton Garnet Armour. Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery, Sec. G. Row C. Grave 20. Grave Inscription: ‘EVER REMEMBERED BY MOM, DAD, EV AND DON, FOAM LAKE, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA’. Born on the 30th October 1922 in Foam Lake, Saskatchewan. Son of Elwood Garnet and Sarah (née Thorsteinson) Armour of Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Flt Sgt. Armour was posthumously appointed to a commission and promoted to J92726 Plt Off. with effect 9th November 1944

Fg Off. John Albert Baker. Cambridge City Cemetery, Grave 15151. Grave Inscription: ‘HIS DUTY FEARLESSLY AND NOBLY DONE. EVER REMEMBERED’. Born on the 17th November 1916 in Inverell, New South Wales. Son of Albert Edward and May Baker of Ashford, New South Wales, Australia.

Plt Off. Arthur Leslie Plowman. Cambridge City Cemetery, Grave 15152. Grave Inscription: ‘HIS LOVE AND COURAGE REMAIN IN OUR HEARTS FOR EVER’. Born on the 27th June 1917 in Orange, New South Wales. Son of Daniel and Christina Plowman. Husband of Enid Ruby Plowman of Orange, New South Wales, Australia.

Sgt. James Nugent. Vale of Leven Cemetery, Sec. S. Grave 334. Son of Gavin and Mary Nugent of Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, Scotland.

Flt Sgt. George Rye. Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery. Sec. G. Row C. Grave 19. Grave Inscription: ‘IN LOVING MEMORY OF A DEAR SON AND BROTHER SADLY MISSED BY ALL’. Born on the 12th February 1925 in Toronto, Ontario. Son of George Errington and Alice (née Fleetwood) Rye of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Researched and dedicated to Wendy Gruner - daughter of Plt Off. Plowman and all the relatives of this crew with thanks to Fay and Gerald McPherson, with thanks to Mike McQuaid for grave photo - February 2017. Reviewed and updated by Aircrew Remembered (Sep 2024).

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