LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Rothney Alex CARTER
Service No: 28286
Born: Adelaide SA, 22 June 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 10 December 1940
Unit: No. 358 Squadron (RAF), Jessore, Bangladesh
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 358 Squadron Liberator aircraft KH312), Bay of Bengal, 2 May 1945, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Taukkyan War Cemetery, Myanmar
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Bertram and Ruby Evelyn Claudia Carter, of Adelaide, South Australia; husband of Beryl Jean Carter, of Brooklyn Park, South Australia.
Roll of Honour: Adelaide SA
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
On the 2nd May 1945, Liberator KH312 crashed into the sea in the approximate position of 18.38N 093.30E and all the crew members were killed. In a Court of Inquiry into the accident set up by RAF Station Jessore, the Court found that “the cause of the accident was threefold: failure of the No 1 engine for causes unknown; failure of the No 4 engine apparently from bearing failure; and the fact that the crew were not aware of the night landing facilities at Kyan and the fact that K type dinghies were not carried on the aircraft. This was considered to be responsible for one if not three deaths. No blame can be attributed to any person for the engines failures.”
The crew members of KH312 were:
Sergeant E H A Andrews (1357596) (RAFVR) (Second Wireless Operator) Slightly Injured
Flying Officer L C Bartlett (165606) (RAFVR) (First Wireless Operator) Slightly Injured
Sergeant R Bell (1595905) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner) Slightly Injured
Flying Officer Walter Henry Bull (165575) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Albert James Burling (1877098) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Rothney Alex Carter (28286) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant Thomas Frederick Courtney Clark (636459) (RAF) (Air Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Richard William Robinson (51519) (RAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant A J Sherwood (1583263) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber) Slightly Injured
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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/7/976