LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant John Campbell LUTON
Service No: 403411
Born: North Sydney NSW, 26 May 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 January 1941
Unit: No. 207 Squadron (RAF), RAF Bottesford, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 207 Squadron Lancaster aircraft R5755), Netherlands, 5 September 1942, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Staveren General Cemetery, Friesland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Wheeler Luton and Priscilla Judith Luton, of Cammeray, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Cammeray NSW
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Lancaster R5755 took off from RAF Bottesford at 0030 hours on the night of 4/5th September 1942, detailed to bomb Bremen, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot about by a night fighter near Groningen, and later, blew up and crashed at 0359 hours on the 5th September 1942, at Rouveen (Overijssel), 13 kms north north east of Zwolle, Holland. All the crew were killed.
The crew members of R5755 were:
Sergeant John Wilfred Atkinson (1105186) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Frederick John Charles Barnes (655006) (RAF) (Observer)
Sergeant George Fleck (532066) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Pilot Officer Adam Byers Hastings (120038) (RAFVR) (Observer))
Sergeant John Campbell Luton (403411) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Cecil Vivian Pattison (778001) (RAF) (Rear Gunner)
Pilot Officer Richard Gerald Rowlands (407728) (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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/140/99