Studio portrait of 409383 Aircraftman Donald Frank Constable, RAAF. He was later promoted to the ...

Studio portrait of 409383 Aircraftman Donald Frank Constable, RAAF. He was later promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) and flew with the 78 Squadron RAF. Flt Lt Constable DFC was killed on 24 March 1944 when his Halifax aircraft LV903 was shot down and crashed near Eisenach, Germany. Crewmembers 1494609 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) T. Radcliffe RAF (Bombardier), 1522440 Sgt D. T. Cash RAF (Flight Engineer), 1866301 Sgt E. T. W. Byford RAF (Air Gunner), J/86203 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) T. Schioler RCAF (Air Gunner), and 1386515 Flt Sgt C.T. Lovells RAF (2nd Pilot) also lost their lives in the air crash. Only 1563039 Sgt C. M. MacLeod RAF (Navigator) and 130056 Flying Officer (FO) H. A. Mace RAF (Wireless Operator) survived the attack by parachuting out in time. Both were taken as prisoners of war by the Germans. In the Australian War Memorial's collection is a letter dated 22 August 1945 written by Wireless Operator H. A. Mace to Mrs H. Constable, the mother of Flt Lt Constable. FO Mace described the atttack: "We had bombed Berlin, and were on the way home when a German night-fighter, unobserved by our gunners, opened an attack from behind. With his first long burst of gunfire, he shot us completely out of control and set our petrol tanks on fire. We have no chance to do anything. Don realized the situation was quite hopeless, and immediately ordered us to abandon the aircraft..."

• 409383 Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Donald Frank Constable (centre), RAAF, a pilot with 78 Squadron ...
• Informal group portrait of aircrew members taken at South Cerney? on the day they were posted. ...
• Aircrew members, some of 78 Squadron RAF, watch J/86203 Flight Sergeant (Flt S) Thomas Lorne ...
• Studio portrait of Sergeant Edward Thomas William 'Ted' Byford RAF (Air Gunner) 78 Squadron. Sgt ...
• Outdoor portrait of 1494609 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Terence 'Terry' Ratcliffe RAF, Bomb Aimer ...