LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Ross George CORNWELL
Service No: 429928
Born: Saddleworth SA, 10 February 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 10 October 1942
Unit: No. 115 Squadron (RAF), RAF Witchford, Cambridgeshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 115 Squadron Lancaster aircraft LL944), Germany, 16 December 1944, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Rheinberg War Cemetery, Kamp-Lintfort, Nordrhein-Westfal, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Walter Clifford Cornwell and Ruby Cornwell, of Wilkawatt, South Australia
Roll of Honour: Wilkawatt 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
Lancaster LL944 took off from RAF Witchford at 1203 hours on the 16 December 1944, detailed to bomb railway yards at Siegen, Germany. The sortie was conducted by No 3 Group RAF involving about 100 Lancasters and the bombing was to be carried out on radar assisted aids. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. A Missing Research & Enquiry team reported “The aircraft appeared from the north west when the tail unit broke off and the aircraft dived and crashed near Uckerath. It was on fire when it crashed.” Four of the crew members were killed and three became Prisoners of War.
The crew members of LL944 were:
Flight Sergeant Ross George Cornwell (429928) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant E D Hutchinson (1595455) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Sergeant Dennis William Roberts (1626114) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Robert Daniel Roberts (1668201) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flying Officer David Brownlee Robertson (J/29156) (RCAF) (Pilot)
Flying Officer C A Smith (154900) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber) PoW
Pilot Officer A H J Trimble (188961) (RAFVR) (Navigator) PoW
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, 166/8/775