LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Alwyn Raymond DOWNE
Service No: 406326
Born: Katanning WA, 9 June 1910
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 November 1940
Unit: No. 148 Squadron (RAF), Landing Ground 237, Libya
Died: Air Operations: (No. 148 Squadron Wellington aircraft DV893), Egypt, 4 September 1942, Aged 32 Years
Buried: Heliopolis War Cemetery, Egypt
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William James Downe and Katharine Downe; husband of Edna Downe, of Perth, Western Australia.
Roll of Honour: Perth WA
Remembered: Panel 121, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
Remembered: Honour Avenues, Kings Park WA
Wellington DV893 took off at 0035 hours on the 4th September 1942 and proceeded to the target area to attack motor transport in the battle area. The weather was fair but deteriorating and on returning the pilot was unable to locate base owing to low cloud and mist but eventually found Landing Ground 224 and shortly after the aircraft struck rising ground which no one in the aircraft had seen in the waning moon due to poor visibility. Sergeant Downe died of injuries received in the crash, and some other members of the crew were also injured but survived the crash.
The crew members of DV893 were:
Flying Officer James Clarke DFC AFC MID (402439) (Pilot) Uninjured, Killed on Air Operations: 12 December 1944
Sergeant Alwyn Raymond Downe (406326) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant P Hall (999013) (RAFVR) (Observer) Injured
Sergeant F W Makin (1258459) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) Injured
Sergeant John Maxwell Scott (404043) (Air Gunner) Uninjured, Killed on Air Operations: 12 December 1944
Flight Sergeant J Souden (915385) (RAFVR) (Pilot) Multiple Injuries
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, 163/103/235