LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Edwin Alfred SIMS
Service No: 413676
Born: Lidcombe NSW, 1 June 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 12 September 1941
Unit: No. 77 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Elvington
Died: Air Operations: (No. 77 Squadron Halifax aircraft JD213), North Sea, 23 June 1943, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Wendoyne Communal Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Edwin James Sims and Ethel May Sims, of Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 130, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2329 hours on the night of 22 June 1943 Halifax JD213 took off from Elvington detailed to bomb Mulheim, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. All the crew were killed and it was presumed they had lost their lives at sea. The remains of three members were later recovered.
The crew members of JD213 were:
Sergeant John Fitzsimmons (1699809) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Desmond Henry Russell Kelly (701907) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Terence Wilfred Charles Luther (1338934) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Thomas Ogle (1140418) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Edwin Alfred Sims (413676) (Pilot)
Sergeant Osborne David Thompson (R/149306) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant John Westbarn (1455546) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/37/123