LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Donald Seymour THOM
Service No: 410271
Born: Armadale VIC, 23 May 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 5 December 1941
Unit: No. 103 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Elsham Wolds
Died: Air Operations: (No. 103 Squadron Lancaster aircraft JB527), Germany, 26 November 1943, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Harry and Sarah Mabel Thom, of Camberwell, Victoria, Australia. B.Sc.
Roll of Honour: Camberwell VIC
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Lancaster JB527 took off from Elsham Wolds at 1738 hours on the night of 26 November 1943 detailed to bomb Berlin. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. A Missing Research & Enquiry team reported “The aircraft was shot down and crashed at Ahrensfelde, some 14 kms north east of Berlin.” All the crew members had been killed.
The crew members of JB527 were:
Sergeant Peter Adin Barnes (1803122) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer Geoffrey Booth (143910) (RAF) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer Michael Henham King (127784) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Alexander Mavromatis (1334206) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant George William Prescott (1391016) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer Richard Elwyn Vaughan Pugh DFM (123636) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flying Officer Donald Seymour Thom (410271) (Navigator)
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, 166/39/175
Bibliography:
Charlwood, D.E.C. (Donald Ernest Cameron) (408794) No Moon Tonight (Angus and Robertson 1956), Penguin Ringwood VIC, 3134, 1991