LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer John Owen KLIPPEL
Service No: 412149
Born: Turramurra NSW, 28 November 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 22 June 1941
Unit: No. 45 Group (RAF)
Died: Aircraft Accident (Ferry Command Mosquito aircraft KB220), North Atlantic Ocean, 7 May 1944, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Alec and Haidee Klippel, of Bowral, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 257, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1313Z hours on 7 May 1944 Mosquito KB220 departed from BW1 airfield, Greenland, on a ferry flight to UK via Iceland. The aircraft failed to reach its destination, the last contact being at 1555 hours. Subsequent air sea rescue searches proved unsuccessful. Later sundry effects from KB220 were washed ashore at Iceland comprising engine log books, life jacket, torch and a number of personal effects. All items were water logged. Four other Mosquitos and seven other aircraft completed the journey on the same date. All crews reported heavy icing conditions while flying in any form of visible moisture, and that they were forced to detour to avoid snow, or sleet or rain squalls.
The crew members of KB220 were:
Flying Officer John Owen Klippel (412149) (Radio Operator)
Flight Lieutenant George Henry Wood (47630) (RAF) (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, 166/22/239