LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Frederick James HOWLETT
Service No: 435918
Born: Townsville QLD, 22 December 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 29 October 1943
Unit: No. 630 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station East Kirkby
Died: Air Operations: (No. 630 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ND949), Leicestershire, 9 April 1945, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire
CWGC Additional Information: on of James Frederick and Catherine Hughes Howlett, of Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Townsville QLD
Remembered: Panel 124, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On the night of 8 April 1945, Lancaster ND949 took off from East Kirkby detailed to bomb as oil refining facility at Lutzkendorf, Germany. On returning from the mission, ND949 called on the radio for landing permission at 0242 hours on 9 April, and was given diversion instructions. These instructions were accepted and the aircraft did not appear to be in any form of distress at the time. The aircraft crashed at Foxton near Market Harborough, Leicestershire, and all the crew members were killed in the crash.
The crew members of ND949 were:
Flight Sergeant Anthony Ellis Bowman (435772) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Herbert Eric Burton (439540) (Navigator)
Flying Officer William Forrester (430653) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Bernard Gibbons (1625259) (RAFVR) (Qualified Pilot flying as Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Fredrick James Howlett (435918) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer Robert Martin (424640) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer Colin Robert Moore Richardson (412697) (Pilot)
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, 166/18/707