LEST WE FORGET
Air Operations (No. 467 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ED771), Netherlands, 1 May 1943
Lancaster ED771 took off from RAF Bottesford at 0022 hours on the night of 30th April / 1st May 1943 to bomb Essen, Germany. The bomb load was1 x 4000 lb (pound) (1,800 kg) bomb, 1080 x 4 lb (2 kg) incendiaries. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Sixteen aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and one of these ED771 failed to return. Post war it was established that the aircraft was hit by flak and crashed at 0315 hours on 1st May at Harderwijk, Holland (Gelderland).
The crew members of ED771 were:
Flying Officer Roderick Halliley Capron (127066) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flight Lieutenant Rex Ayrton Craigie (40210) (RAF) (Pilot) PoW (Australian serving in the RAF)
Sergeant George Harold Edwards (1078045) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant W T Fair (929876) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Sergeant Thomas Dunlop Peat (1559144) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Pilot Officer Geoffrey John Phillips (130512) (RAF) (Bomb Aimer) PoW
Sergeant John Alston Proctor (1520443) (RAF) (Mid Upper Gunner)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records