LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Mervyn Edgar HAMILTON
Service No: 414232
Born: Brisbane QLD, 10 January 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 17 August 1941
Unit: No. 463 Squadron, RAF Station Waddington, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 463 Squadron Lancaster aircraft LL844), Netherlands, 15 August 1944, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Edward Leslie Hamilton, and of Ellen Jane Hamilton, of Bulimba, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 257, Runnymede memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 109, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Lancaster LL844 took off from RAF Waddington at 0921 hours to carry out a daylight raid on Gilze Rijen airfield on 15 August 1944. The bomb load was 11 x 1000 lb (0pound) (450 kg) and 4 x 500 lb (225kg) LD37D – 72 hours delay. The aircraft completed the mission and landed back at base at 1321 hours. Seventeen aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and all returned safely.
The crew members of LL844 were:
Flying Officer L E W Barnes (35083*) (RCAF) (Bomb Aimer)
Flying Officer Charles Jackson Cameron (434868) (Mid Upper Gunner) Killed on Air Operations: 3 March 1945
Flying Officer Mervyn Edgar Hamilton (414232) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Eric Le Page Langlois DFC (416685) (Pilot) Killed on Air Operations: 3 March 1945
Flying Officer Evan Charles Patten (409437) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner) Killed on Air Operations: 3 March 1945
Flying Officer Alan Frank Reid (421050) (Navigator) Killed on Air Operations: 3 March 1945
Sergeant John Scott (1591065) (RAF) (Flight Engineer) Killed on Air Operations: 3 March 1945
* Service number shown on Casualty signal and is likely incomplete
In a report in the Squadron’s Operations Record Book the Pilot recorded “Sortie completed. Visibility excellent. Aiming Point as ordered visually. No Target Indicators seen. 15,000 feet. Bombs dropped 1210 hours. A real good concentration. Just as our bombs got away our Rear Turret (with Flying Officer Hamilton, Rear Gunner) was carried away with bombs from an aircraft 2/300 feet above The aircraft letter was ‘U’ but Squadron letters not positively identified. Handling of aircraft not much affected except when coming into land when speed fell off.”
In a further report dated 9 September 1944 the Pilot recorded “In the run up to the target aircraft of another Squadron became mixed up with our own aircraft and took up a position slightly above us. I had completed our bomb run and was holding the aircraft straight and level to obtain bomb photo when felt a severe bump – I thought flak had burst below us. The Mid Upper immediately called ‘Hit by bomb by one of aircraft flying above us’ and he thought the rear turret had been completely knocked off. There was no answer from Hamilton on the Intercom. When clear of the target I sent the Bomb Aimer back to inspect the damage. He reported that Hamilton was missing from the turret. Hamilton was wearing a seat type chute and no one from my Aircraft or other Squadron aircraft saw a chute open in the target area. I presume that Hamilton must have at least been knocked unconscious by the bomb.”
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, 166/17/710