LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Herbert Eric BURTON
Service No: 439540
Born: Southampton, England, 2 May 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 12 July 1943 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 630 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station East Kirkby
Died: Air Operations (No. 630 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ND949), Leicestershire, 9 April 1945, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Oxford (Botley) Cemetery, Oxfordshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Albert Eric and Helen Burton, of Bondi Junction, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 119, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On the night of 8 April 1945, Lancaster ND949 took off from East Kirkby detailed to bomb as oil refining facility at Lutzkendorf, Germany. On returning from the mission, ND949 called on the radio for landing permission at 0242 hours on 9 April, and was given diversion instructions. These instructions were accepted and the aircraft did not appear to be in any form of distress at the time. The aircraft crashed at Foxton near Market Harborough, Leicestershire, and all the crew members were killed in the crash.
The crew members of ND949 were:
Flight Sergeant Anthony Ellis Bowman (435772) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Herbert Eric Burton (439540) (Navigator)
Flying Officer William Forrester (430653) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Bernard Gibbons (1625259) (RAFVR) (Qualified Pilot flying as Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Fredrick James Howlett (435918) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer Robert Martin (424640) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer Colin Robert Moore Richardson (412697) (Pilot)
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, 166/6/1072