LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer George Laurie MESSENGER
Service No: 411652
Born: Hamilton NSW, 25 October 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 24 May 1941
Unit: No. 463 Squadron, RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 463 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ED772), Germany, 30 January 1944, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Berlin 1949-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of George and Martha Messenger, of Hamilton, New South Wales, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Carrington NSW
Remembered: Panel 109, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Date: 30-31 January 1944
Target: Berlin
Total Force: Dispatched – 540, Attacking – 489
RAAF Force: No. 460 Dispatched – 12, Attacking – 12; No. 463 Dispatched – 14, Attacking – 13; No. 466 Dispatched – 12, Attacking – 6; No. 467 Dispatched – 10, Attacking – 10
Tons of Bombs Dropped: 1,961
Total Aircraft Lost: 33
RAAF Aircraft Lost: No. 463 – 4; No. 467 – 1
The importance of striking again before this conflagration died down led next night to another maximum strength attack, although the force had to operate in moon conditions which favoured German fighters. Six Halifaxes of No. 466 returned early to base because of unserviceable equipment, but the Lancasters had no difficulty in reaching Berlin. Cloud had once more sheeted the target but with abundant fighter flares, moonlight and the reflection of sky markers on cloud, the area appeared at times as bright as day. The section of the stream including No. 463 was persistently attacked by a group of fighters and, although one Ju-88 was damaged, the squadron lost four Lancasters. Flight Sergeant Campbell (1) of No. 467 also shot down an Me-110 outmanoeuvred by his pilot (Flight Lieutenant Simpson) but the enemy remained persistent and more fighters infiltrated the returning gaggles of bombers. Flying Officer Stevens (2) of No. 466 who had been attacked on each of his previous two trips to Berlin had to beat off attacks by three separate fighters during his return flight from this raid but by good crew drill aided by radar warning devices he again escaped with minor damage to his Halifax. Some navigators criticised the broadcast winds received during this flight, but the bombers kept well to the pre-arranged timetable and Australians described the concentration of sky markers as the best achieved for some time. Experienced crews again estimated that most of the bombs fell on Berlin, and enemy broadcasts almost immediately admitted that “extensive areas of Berlin were hit”.
(1) Warrant Officer Colin Argyle Campbell (426306) was discharged from the RAAF on 18 December 1944.
(2) Flight Lieutenant John Humphries Stevens DFC (416802) was discharged from the RAAF on 6 September 1945.
Extracts from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939-1943, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1954 – Pages 643, 645-6
Lancaster ED772 took off from RAF Waddington at 1702 hours on the night of 30/31st January 1944 to bomb Berlin. Bomb load 1 x 4000 lb (pound) (1,800 kg) bomb, 64 x 30 lb (14 kg), 1200 x 4 lb (2 kg) incendiaries. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Fourteen aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and four of these including ED772 failed to return. Post war it was established that the aircraft was shot down from 21,000 feet by a night fighter and crashed at Jabel, 3 kms north west of Wittstock.
The crew members of ED772 were:
Sergeant Gavin Carfare Borradaile (1332645) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Warrant Officer E Brown (1543709) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer) PoW
Warrant Officer M F Holmes (1576072) (RAFVR) (Navigator) PoW
Sergeant Harold William Hughes Marshall (576242) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer George Laurie Messenger (411652) (Pilot)
Sergeant Frederick Wooldridge (1035489) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant Ronald William Young (1376781) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
In a 1944 report Sergeant Holmes stated “Re. Messenger, last seen strapped in burning aircraft and believed killed. At the time of the incident I was rendered unconscious and later blown out of the aircraft.” The account by Sergeant Holmes states that at the time of the explosion Messenger was at the controls putting on his chute with the assistance of the Flight Engineer. The explosion then blew Holmes and ostensibly myself out. We met in custody several hours later at an airfield. To the best of my knowledge and after enquiries am reluctantly compelled to believe that Flying Officer Messenger was killed.’
No. 463 Squadron lost Lancaster ED949 (Flying Officer Douglas Chapman Dunn (416418) (Pilot)) on 30 January 1944.
No 463 Squadron lost Lancaster ED545 Pilot Officer Lindsay Samuel Fairclough (415412) (Pilot)) on 30 January 1944.
No. 463 Squadron lost Lancaster JA973 (Pilot Officer Peter Edward Hanson (415528) (Pilot)) on 30 January 1944.
No. 467 Squadron lost Lancaster DV678 (Flying Officer Alexander Douglas Riley (3717) (Pilot)) on 30 January 1944.
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, 166/27/343