LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Eric John STRAWBRIDGE
Service No: 426927
Born: Maryborough QLD, 2 May 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 15 August 1942
Unit: No. 1662 Conversion Unit (RAF), RAF Station Blyton
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 1662 Conversion Unit Halifax aircraft DT669), Lincolnshire, 16 December 1943, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur William and Maud Sarah Strawbridge, of Kanyan, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Gympie QLD
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 16 December 1943, Halifax DT669 took off from Blyton for a long navigation exercise at night. While preparing to land, the aircraft crashed at 2335 hours coming down at Corringham, 3 miles east north east from Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. All the crew members were killed. A Flying accident report later stated: “the port outer engine was found to be feathered. The engine had overheated due to loss of coolant. However the port outer did not cause the accident. It was assumed that the pilot flew the aircraft too low when circling the aerodrome prior to landing, and he did not see the village of Corringham until very near to it. The aircraft was then turned to starboard and the starboard wing struck some small trees and then hit the ground.” DT669 was operating with a six member crew.
The crew members of DT669 were:
Sergeant Robert Edward Charles Bottle (1604911) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant John Ellis Findley (412941) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Edward Hoskings (425014) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Eric John Strawbridge (426927) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Noel Richard Brittan Toy (414851) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Garnault Mervyn Vautier (410273) (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
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/38/366