Portrait of 415610 Flight Sergeant (later Flying Officer) John Leonard Breed RAAF, pilot of ...

Portrait of 415610 Flight Sergeant (later Flying Officer) John Leonard Breed RAAF, pilot of Perth, WA, a member of No 196 Squadron RAF, an Allied Expeditionary Air Force glider-towing squadron. Flying Officer Breed was killed in an aircraft accidet in Norway on 10 May 1945. In the early hours of 10 May, Breed and his crew took off for Norway carrying 14 British paratroopers. They encountered heavy weather over the North Sea, and low clouds obscured visibility on the approach to Gardemoen Airport, north of Oslo. The landing was aborted, and most of the Stirlings returned to England, but for an unknown reason, several of the aircraft continued. Around 1,500 metres from the runway, the Stirling piloted by Breed emerged from the low cloud some 300 feet from the ground. The aircraft attempted to climb, but lost power, plunged into the ground and burst into flames. Nearby locals rushed to the scene but there were no survivors.