LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Kenneth Hayne ENGLAND
Service No: 404902
Born: Ipswich QLD, 14 July 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 December 1940
Unit: No. 83 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Scampton
Died: Air Operations: (No. 83 Squadron Lancaster aircraft R5621), off the Polish Coast, 12 June 1942, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery, Poland
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur Hayne England and Theodora Dorcas England, of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Ipswich QLD
Remembered: Panel 121, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2216 hours on the night of 11 June 1942 Lancaster R5621 took off from Scampton detailed to carry out a gardening (mine-laying) operation in the Baltic. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire from a flak ship moored in the target area and exploded. Four of the crew members were killed and three became Prisoners of War.
The crew members of R5621 were:
Sergeant Ralph Henry Dominy (1176014) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant R C Driver (1166459) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot) PoW
Sergeant Kenneth Hayne England (404902) (Second Wireless Air Gunner)
Flying Officer M A Sproule (62338) (RAFVR) (Pilot) PoW
Flight Sergeant Wallace Stockport DFM (551385) (RAF) (First Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant R R Vernon (924078) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner) PoW
Pilot Officer Donald George Williams (106560) (RAFVR) (Observer)
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, 163/107/102