LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Winton Greer OTTAWAY
Service No: 38181
Born: Kelmscott WA, 17 July 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 March 1941
Unit: No. 460 Squadron, RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 460 Squadron Lancaster aircraft PB469), Germany, 21 November 1944, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Kenneth Alfred and Louisa Jane Ottaway, of Mount Lawley, Western Australia.
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 257, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 108, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
Of the six special rail targets RAAF squadrons attacked only two. On 21st-22nd November 23 Lancasters of No. 460 flew in a force of 283 to bomb marshalling yards at Aschaffenburg, but heavy low cloud foiled the master bomber who instructed crews to bomb on navigational or radar fixes. Most aircraft bombed on a large red glow which H2S radar confirmed as being in the general target area but which some crews thought was a decoy. Photographs taken after the attack showed some damage to station buildings, the goods depot and rolling-stock as well as to scattered industrial and residential buildings north of the marshalling yards, but it was a disappointing result for the expenditure of 1,350 tons of bombs.
Extract from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Over Europe 1944-1945, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1963 – Pages 310-1
Lancaster PB469 took off from RAF Binbrook at 1528 hours on 21 November 1944 to bomb Aschaffenburg, Germany. Bomb load 1 x 4000 lb (pound) (1,800 kg) and 16 x 500 lb (225 kg) bombs. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Twenty three aircraft from the squadron took part in the raid and two including P490 failed to return.
The crew members of PB469 were:
Sergeant Godfrey Henry James Briggs (1609862) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant William Bull (430137) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Leonard Wilfred Flohm (427760) (Bomb Aimer)
Flight Sergeant Hugh Swales Metcalfe (1595069) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Vincent Edward Norman (1582499) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flying Officer Winton Greer Ottaway (38181) (Pilot)
Sergeant Athol Noel Shilstone (1808652) (RAFVR) PoW
No. 460 Squadron lost Lancaster NE141 (Pilot Officer Ross Faulkner McMaster (434470) (Pilot)) on 21 November 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, 166/31/280
Bibliography:
Firkins, P. C. (Peter Charles) (441386) Strike and Return, Westward Ho Publishing City Beach WA, 1985