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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07/08.02.1942 37 Squadron Wellington IC ES989 LF-A WO1. Sidney Turner

Operation: Tobruk

Date: 07/8th September 1942 (Monday/Tuesday)

Unit: 37 Squadron

Type: Wellington IC

Serial: ES989

Code: LF-A

Base: RAF Abu Sueir, Egypt.

Location: Lost without trace

Pilot: WO1. Sidney Allan George Turner R/67875 RCAF Age 21. Missing

Pilot 2: WO2. Archibald Boyd Cameron R/56347 RCAF Age 22. Missing

Obs: WO2. Roger Bentley Clements R/67894 RCAF Age 25. Missing

W/Op Air Gnr: Flt.Sgt. Roderick Daniel Macdonald 405080 RAAF Age 33. Missing

W/Op Air Gnr: Sgt. Geoffrey Donald Rawbone 1187264 RAFVR Age 19. Missing

Rear Gnr: Sgt. Peter McIntyre 946416 RAFVR Age 26. Missing

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from RAF Abu Sueir, Egypt between 19.15 hrs. and 19.36 hrs to bomb the harbour and shipping at Tobruk. The aircraft and crew failed to return and all the crew are commemorated on the Alamein Memorial in Egypt.

Another 37 Sqn Wellington was also lost on the same operation, Sgt. Shepherd on DV457 LF-W flew into a hill at Gebel Abu Shama. Two crew were killed but the other 4 survived.

Above: flight of three 37 Sqn Wellingtons with ERS989 LF-A in the middle

Group portrait of members of Squad 14 at the RAAF No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School, Evans Head, NSW between 28th July 1941 and 7th August 1941. (Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial)

Back row left to right: LAC William Kirk, LAC Bertram W.M. Klemm, LAC John A. Loth, LAC William M. Jenvey; LAC Rex C. Lambert; LAC Ronald T. Lonsdale. Front row left to right: LAC Roderick D. MacDonald; LAC Kevin H.Kelaher; LAC Graham M. King; LAC Noel Loveday; possibly LAC Ronald F. Jenkins.

W/Op Air Gnr: Fg.Off. William Kirk 405107 RAAF Age. 25. KiA on 20th June 1944. 180 Sqn Mitchell II, FV998, EV-?. Shot down by flak during during mission on "Noball" (V-1) targets in Northern France. He is buried in St Pierre Cemetery, Amiens.

LAC Bertram William Mervyn Klemm 405054 RAAF. No details

W/Op Air Gnr: Fg.Off. John Adam Loth 405056 RAAF. Flew a total of 43 missions with 108 Sqn and 37 Sqn on Wellingtons in the Middle East. Declared permanently medically unfit and repatriated to Australia. Discharged from the RAAF 29th March 1945.

LAC William Maiden Jenvey 403271 RAAF. No details

W/Op Air Gnr: Flt.Sgt. Rex Clifton Lambert 403272 RAAF Age 28. Killed during training flight on 20th October 1942. Air Defence Unit, Attachment RAF, Blenheim V, BA162. Crashed and burst into flames after hitting a tree at low level over Northern Nigeria. He is buried in Kano Township Christian Cemetery.

W/Op Air Gnr: Flt.Sgt. Ronald Thomas Lonsdale 403273 RAAF Age. 27. KiA on 4th January 1943. 460 Sqn., Lancaster I, W4274, DV-B. Shot down by a night fighter near Nijmagen during a raid on Essen. He is buried in Uden War Cemetery. (Claimed by Hptm. Reinhold Knacke, his 41st, from 1./NJG1 at Hatert, 5km south of Nijmagen at 5,200 m at 20:19 hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (1 January - 22 June) 1943 Part 3 - Theo Boiten))

W/Op Air Gnr: Flt.Sgt. Roderick Daniel MacDonald - This report

Sgt. Kevin Henry Kelaher 403287 RAAF Age 23. Killed in accident in Timor on 20th January 1942. Passenger aboard 2 Sqn RAAF, Hudson II A16-79 . The aircraft was overloaded with men and stores evacuating ahead of the Japanese invasion. He is buried in a collective grave at the Ambon War Cemetery, Indonesia.

W/Op Air Gnr: Flt.Lt. Graham Malcolm King 405048 RAAF. He flew operational sorties with 14 Sqn on the Blenheim & Marauder and with 2 Sqn on the Mitchell medium bomber. He survived the war and was discharged from the RAAF on the 12th December 1945.

W/Op Air Gnr: Sgt. Noel Loveday 405049 RAAF Age 24. KiA on the 21st May 1943. 100 Sqn, Beaufort VIII A9-188. FTR from a bombing mission against Gasmata airfield, New Britain. He is commemorated on the Rabaul Memorial, Papua New Guinea.

Pilot: Flt.Sgt. Ronald Frank Jenkins, 416122 RAAF Age. 26. Killed on the 25th June 1943. 262 Sqn., Catalina IB, FP265 'H'. Aircraft blew up on take-off from Lake St. Lucia. He is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial, Egypt.

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Further details on WO1 Sidney Allan George Turner as supplied by Laurel Beechey:

"Second son of Archibald Sidney Philpot (Pillpott) and Lilly (Hodgson) Turner.

His parents were married at St. Lukes Battersea, Surrey, County of London. Feb 28th 1918. They had met while he was in hospital after being severely wounded in WWI. Lilly came over as a war bride to New York where Archie met her at the station July 15th 1918 and took her home to Windsor, Ontario Canada.

He was working in Windsor, at the British American Brewery. He was also worked as the motorman on the Amherstburg/Sandwich Street Car and at Ford Motor Co in the coal header dept, which was tremendously noisy (and helped to kill him), but it paid more. Archie was very quick tempered. In 1944 he died of his war wounds including kidney failure a slow result of mustard gas.

They lived on Prince Rd Park which he rented and rode a bike then moved to 590 Brock St. This was an old house then but it was their own. (As a child in 1950's I recall that this was by today standards a very dilapidated/poor home. The floors all sloped. There was no heat on the 2nd floor.)

Sid was the middle of three sons was born in 11th Feb 1921, Bruce the elder and Ron the younger. It seems they had a traditional British upbringing in Canada. All three sons sang in the church choir and at one point were all dressed in sailor suits for a photograph. (Archie had run away as a child to the sea and been in several navies)

Archie had an oversized rowboat with sail and one time his son Sid, took the boat out in front of the LeMoyne (one of the biggest lake freighters on the Detroit River) Archie seeing this leaped about exclaiming "Never Was A Man Cursed Like Me!" This was evidently a favourite saying when he was annoyed with his sons.

Sid came home drunk once, galloped across the room and leaped into bed…however…his mother had moved the bed!

Sid completed 5 years at Sandwich Collegiate Institute in Sandwich, Windsor, where he is remembered as having good grades and as one brother stated, “He knew everything and had a photographic memory.” (now known as Forester Collegiate)

From a February 21st program (no year) we know that Sid was President of the Drama Club and performed in skit called “God Caesar”. His brother Ronald also performed in this same evening’s performance, his skit was called, “While you Wait”.

Between High School and the war or as a part time job, Sid worked for Bowmen typewriters."

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Burial details:

None - all are classed as missing.

WO1. Sidney Allan George Turner. Alamein Memorial Column 263. Son of Archie S. and Lily Turner, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

(Left. Courtesy of Brock) WO2. Archibald Boyd Cameron. Alamein Memorial Column 263. Son of Peter Archie and Eva Cameron, of Verdun, Province of Quebec, Canada.

WO2. Roger Bentley Clements. Alamein Memorial Column 264. Son of W. D. and Tillie Clements, of Goldthwaite, Texas, U.S.A.

Flt.Sgt. Roderick Daniel Macdonald. Alamein Memorial Column 265. Son of John Angus and Helen Macdonald, husband of Myrtle Margaret Macdonald, of Gympie, Queensland, Australia.

(Above Section of the Alamein Memorial book (courtesy Alan Rawbone)

Sgt. Geoffrey Donald Rawbone. Alamein Memorial Column 262. Born 28th May 1923. Son of Alfred James and Alice Rose Rawbone of Bournemouth, Hampshire, England.

Sgt. Peter McIntyre. Alamein Memorial Column 261. Son of Peter and Mary J. McIntyre, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, England.

Researched for and with information from Laurel Beechey niece of WO1. Sidney Turner. Also to Alan Rawbone, nephew of Sgt. Geoffrey Rawbone, dedicated to relatives / friends of the crew. With thanks to the following: the CWGC David Gunby and Pelham Temple - 'Bomber Command losses Middle East and Mediterranean'. Thanks to Brock for the group photograph and newspaper cutting.

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A wonderful collage of family photo's submitted by Laurel - included to show the personal side of this, another tragedy!

Top to bottom and left to right: 1st photo: Sidney, Roger Penny, Lily and Archie Turner Anne Penny, Roger Penny and Bruce Turner.
2nd photo: Sidney Turner early 1940, 3rd photo: Sidney Turner at school. 4th photo: Ron, Bruce and Sidney as choir boys,
5th photo: Bruce, Ron and Sidney as sailors, 6th photo: Ron and Sidney with old flying helmets.

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