LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant John Aloysius SIEBERT DFC
From Australia serving in the Royal Air Force
RAF Service No: 36155
Born: Date, Location Unavailable
Enlisted in the RAF: 1938
Unit: No. 207 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Waddington, Lincolnshire
Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 207 Squadron Manchester I aircraft L7303), Netherlands, 28 March 1941, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Eindhoven (Woensel) General Cemetery, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Francis Joseph and Ella Mary Siebert of Kingswood, South Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Supplementary Panel 12, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Flight Lieutenant Siebert was an Australian Cadet trained for the RAF who embarked for the UK on 21 July 1938.
DFC Citation: This officer has successfully carried out 200 hours operational flying, many flights being carried out under adverse weather conditions. His courage and determination in attacking the enemy have been outstanding. He has a long record of consistently good work. (Citation dated 22 November 1940)
Manchester L7303 took off from Waddington to attack Dusseldorf. The aircraft was abandoned and crashed between Roessel and Bakel (Noord Brabant), 6 km north east of Helmond, Holland. Flight Lieutenant Siebert was the last to leave the bomber and he hit the ground before his parachute had fully deployed. Moments later the Manchester was attacked by a night-fighter operating from Eindhoven.
The crew members of L7303 were:
Sergeant George Thomas John Fomison (580649) (RAFVR) PoW
Sergeant Peter Gurnell (566980) (RAFVR) PoW
Flight Sergeant William John Jewell McDougall (749440) (RAFVR) PoW
Sergeant P C Robson (754584) (RAFVR) PoW
Flight Lieutenant John Aloysius Siebert DFC (36155) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant James Arthur Taylor (619199) (RAFVR) PoW
References:
Australian War Memorial AWM65 4674
Chorley W R, Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, Volume 2 Aircraft and Aircrew Losses 1941, Midland Counties Publications UK, 1993
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Newton, Dennis A Few of the Few: Australians and the Battle of Britain, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT 2600, 1990
RAF Commands Website