LEST WE FORGET

Sergeant Lawrence Ernest MEARS

From Australia serving in the Royal Air Force

Service No: 1607727
Born: Date, Location unavailable (Birth registered at Beverley WA in 1923)
Enlisted in the RAF: Date unavailable
Unit: No. 78 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Breighton, Yorkshire
Died: Air Operations(No. 78 Squadron Halifax aircraft LK763), North West Europe, 20 February 1944, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William James Mears and Josephine Ida Mears of Mosman Park, Western Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 234, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK

Halifax LK763 of No. 78 Squadron took off from RAF Breighton at 0011 hours on 20 February 1944 to attack Leipzig, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off, and it did not return to base. Following post war enquiries and investigations, it was recorded in 1950 that the missing crew had no known grave.

The crew members of LK763 were:

Sergeant George Beal (1803550) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Everett Malcolm Coulter (R/156195) (RCAF) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Ian Richard Montagu Douglas-Pulleyne (138075) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer)
Sergeant Lawrence Ernest Mears (1607727) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Richard Glasson O’Neill (415949) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant George Frederick Reynolds (1415061) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator)
Sergeant John Smith (1323064) (RAFVR) (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

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