LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer John James CONDON
Service No: 412056
Born: Lismore NSW, 23 April 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 21 June 1941
Unit: No. 61 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Skellingthorpe
Died: Air Operations (No. 61 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ED470), Netherlands, 23 September 1944, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John and Mary Condon, of Double Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Lismore NSW
Remembered: Panel 257, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On the night of 23 September 1944 Lancaster ED470 took off from Skellingthorpe to bomb Munster, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base.
A 1947 report from a Missing Research and Enquiry Unit, stated that the aircraft crashed into the middle of the river Waal (which is a continuation of the Rhine river), near Bommel, Netherlands, on 23 September 1944.” Six of the crew are recorded as missing with no known graves while one member baled out.
The crew members of ED470 were:
Sergeant Thomas Brown (1171420) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flying Officer John James Condon (412056) (Navigator)
Flying Officer Derek Cecil Heather (153571) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer Albert Keith Hornibrook (426346) (Pilot)
Sergeant Robert Stanley Meachen (1124861) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant J G Miller (2212940) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner) Baled out
Sergeant Tegwyn Roberts (2205764) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Miller later stated that the aircraft was on fire and as he could not get in touch with the rest of the crew for orders to bale out, he baled out of his own accord. He stated that the aircraft went on straight and level for 3 minutes and then turned and dived into the ground. He did not see any other parachutes.
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, 166/8/652