LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Henry ELMS
Service No: 404895
Born: Toowoomba QLD, 2 July 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 December 1940
Unit: No. 114 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 114 Squadron Boston aircraft BZ327), Italy, 16 April 1944, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Cassino War Cemetery, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Cecil Henry and Daisy Elms; husband of Jessie Joyce Elms, of Hillend, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 121, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 16 April 1944 Boston BZ327 was detailed to carry out an armed reconnaissance of roads in Italy between Frosinone-Rome-Valletry. The aircraft took off at 2103 hours but nothing was heard from the aircraft which failed to return to base. In 1946 the wreck of the aircraft was found approximately 4 kms from Checano, Italy. All the crew members had been killed.
The crew members of BZ327 were:
Flight Lieutenant Bruce Wild Andrew (107908) (RAFVR) (Navigator Bomb Aimer)
Flight Lieutenant Henry Elms (440895) (Pilot)
Sergeant William John Follows (579086) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Frederick Albert George Thomas (1853347) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
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, 166/11/129