LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer John Douglas Campbell BELL
Service No: 419249
Born: Sea Lake VIC, 26 May 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 17 July 1942
Unit: No. 1 (Observer) Advanced Flying Unit (RAF), RAF Station Wigtown
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 1 (Observer) Advanced Flying Unit Anson aircraft DG902), off the Scottish Coast, 1 February 1945, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of George Campbell Bell and Jennie Beatrice Bell, of Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Warrnambool VIC
Remembered: Panel 282, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On Thursday evening 1 February 1945 Anson DG902 took off from Wigtown on a night navigation exercise over the Irish Sea area. At about 2330 hours the aircraft reported that it was about to land at base and was given a bearing from the base wireless station. No distress signals were heard, but the aircraft never returned. Wreckage was subsequently found in the sea 5 miles south-east of Mull of Galloway, Scotland, with no sign of the crew members.
The crew members of DG902 were:
Flight Sergeant Thomas Edward Anthony (1398257) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant George Arnold (1815753) (RAFVR) (Student Navigator)
Flying Officer John Douglas Campbell Bell (419249) (Staff Wireless Operator)
Sergeant Dennis Henry Clayton (1033604) (RAFVR) (Student Wireless Operator)
Sergeant Lionel Cornbloom (1804916) (RAFVR) (Student Air Bomber)
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, 166/5/926