LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Edgar Henry VICKERS
Service No: 403153
Born: Singleton NSW, 12 September 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 9 December 1940
Unit: No. 16 Operational Training Unit (RAF)
Died: Air Operations (No. 16 Operational Training Unit Wellington aircraft DV736), Belgium, 1 August 1942, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Heverlee War Cemetery, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur Edgar and Emily Morison Vickers, of Singleton, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Singleton NSW
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Glendon and District Roll of Honour World War II, Glendon NSW
At 2339 hours on the 31 July 1942 Wellington DV736 took off from RAF Station Upper Heyford detailed to carry out a raid on Dusseldorf, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. At 0215 hours the aircraft crashed at Dilses (Limburg) and all the crew members were killed.
The crew members of DV736 were:
Flight Sergeant Thomas James Armstrong (R/77407) (RCAF) (Navigator)
Sergeant Rodney David Gibson (R/68762) (RCAF) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant Norman Alfred Long (656328) (RAF) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Francis Pierre George Moore (404085) (RNZAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant George Redhead (940304) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Edgar Henry Vickers (403153) (Staff Pilot)
Sergeant Long was on No 37 Course and the remainder of the crew were on No 36 course.
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, 163/175/100
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line