LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Robert Norman George BARLOW DFC
Service No: 401899
Born: Carlton VIC, 22 April 1911
Enlisted in the RAAF: 26 April 1941
Unit: No. 617 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Scampton
Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), 14 May 1943
Died: Air Operations: (No. 617 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ED927), Germany, 16 May 1943, Aged 32 Years
Buried: Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Alexander and Frances May Barlow; husband of Audrey May Barlow, of St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: St Kilda VIC
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
DFC Citation: Throughout his many operational sorties, this officer has displayed the highest courage and devotion to duty. He has participated many attacks on Essen, Berlin, Hamburg and
Cologne, and on two occasions he has flown his aircraft safely back to base on three engines. During periods of the most extensive operations, Flight Lieutenant Barlow has set a magnificent example of courage and determination, (London Gazette 14 May 1943, Page 2155)
At 2128 hours on the night of 16 May 1943, Lancaster ED927 took off from Scampton detailed to carryout operation Chastise and attack the Scorpe Dam in Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed at 2350 hours after colliding with high tension cables at Haldern, 4 kms east south east of Rees. All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of ED927 were:
Flight Lieutenant Robert Norman George Barlow DFC (401899) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer Philip Sidney Burgess (124881) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer Alan Gillespie DFM (144205) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer Harvey Sterling Glinz (J/10212) (RCAF) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Jack Robert George Liddell (1338282) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner) Aged 18 Years
Pilot Officer Charles Roland Williams DFC (405224) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Samuel Leslie Whillis (144619) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
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
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/5/162