| Accession Number | P07841.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Thomas, Gwynne |
| Place made | United Kingdom: England, Staffordshire |
| Date made | August 1944 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Portrait of 431448 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Richard (Dick) Thurston Hawthorn, 463 Sqn RAAF, of ...
Description
Portrait of 431448 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Richard (Dick) Thurston Hawthorn, 463 Sqn RAAF, of Mildura, Victoria, in the grounds of Tutbury Castle near Burton-on-Trent. Flt Sgt Hawthorn was serving as Air Gunner aboard Lancaster PB290 JO-K when it took off from RAF Base Waddington on the night of 6/7th December 1944 to bomb the marshalling yards at Giessen, Germany. Of the nineteen aircraft from the Squadron that took part in the raid, only PB290 failed to return. Flt Sgt Hawthorn; Sgt Phillip J Gwynne RAF (Flight Engineer); 433549 Flt Sgt Joslyn (Len) Lavarre Henderson RAAF (Air Gunner); 434484 Flying Officer (FO) Gwynne Thomas RAAF (Wireless Operator Air); 419821 FO Henry Stanley MacMeikan RAAF (Bomb Aimer); 429369 FO Richard Rodney (Rod) Young RAAF (Pilot) and 433194 FO Alan Campbell Bond RAAF (Navigator) were posted as lost on operations. Following the war, it was later established that the aircraft crashed into woods about 3km north-east of Giessen. At the time of the crash, the remains of FO Young, FO MacMeikan, Flt Sgt Hawthorn and Sgt Gwynne, were recovered and buried in Giessen local cemetery. Later, they were reinterred in the Hanover War Cemetery. In 2004, German historians found part of the Lancaster's wreckage, and the remains of FO Bond, FO Thomas and Flt Sgt Henderson in a forest near Giessen. Family members of the crew joined representatives from the RAAF and the Australian Embassy in Berlin for a military funeral service for the remaining crewmembers on 13 September 2005. See also P07841.009
- Portrait of 419821 Flying Officer (FO) Henry Stanley "Mack" MacMeikan, 463 Sqn RAAF, of ...
- Portrait of 433549 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Joslyn (Len) Lavarre Henderson, 463 Sqn RAAF, of ...
- Portrait of 433549 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Joslyn (Len) Lavarre Henderson, 463 Sqn RAAF, of ...
- Portrait of 429369 Flying Officer (FO) Richard Rodney (Rod) Young, 463 Sqn RAAF, of West ...
- Studio portrait of 434484 Flying Officer Gwynne Thomas, 463 Sqn RAAF, of Gympie, Qld.
- Informal outdoor portrait of 434484 Flying Officer (FO) Gwynne Thomas and 429369 FO Richard ...
- Group portrait of the crew of Lancaster PB290 JO-K at RAF Base Waddington. Identified left to ...