| Place | Europe: Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | P06842.001 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Date made | c 1943 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Studio portrait of 432371 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Robert (Bob) Coward, RAAF, an Air Gunner ...
Description
Studio portrait of 432371 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Robert (Bob) Coward, RAAF, an Air Gunner attached to 463 Squadron RAF. A native of Bexley, NSW, he enlisted on 8 December 1942. Flt Sgt Coward was killed, aged 22, along with three other members of his crew during a daytime mission on enemy gun positions at Flushing, Holland, on 23 October 1944. Flt Sgt Coward's aircraft, Lancaster PD620, was one of two from the squadron that failed to return from the raid. A later report by one of the survivors, Flight Officer T J Dack, stated that the aircraft was hit by incendiary flak at 4000ft and immediately set on fire. He and two other crew members, Flt Sgt J McWilliam and Sgt H E Lee, baled out and were taken Prisoner of War. The remaining four members of the crew were killed, and their names are commemorated on the Memorial to the Missing at Runnymede, Surrey, United Kingdom.