LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Douglas Victor WEBLEY
Service No: 434672
Born: Malvern VIC, 22 July 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 29 January 1943
Unit: No. 18 Squadron, Batchelor NT
Died: Air Operations: (No. 18 Squadron Mitchell aircraft N5-210), Langgoer, Kai Islands, 19 August 1944, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Ernest Daniel and Laura Sophia Webley, of Glen Iris, Victoria, Australia; husband of Muriel Webley, of Prahran, Victoria
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Column 9, Ambon Memorial, Indonesia
Remembered: Panel 101, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 19 August 1944, N5-210 was ne of twelve No. 18 squadron Mitchell aircraft tasked to attack Langgoer Aerodrome in the Kai Islands. The aircraft took off from Batchelor at 1543 hours and was bombing over the target at 10,000 feet at 1853 hours. N5-210 was hit by ground-based anti-aircraft fire and was seen to turn to the left when its right wing tip broke off, causing the aircraft to go into a steep dive. Flames were sewn coming from the aircraft but it was recovered to horizontal flight at about 2,000 feet when its left wing broke off. The aircraft went into a spin again but was stabilised just above the water and ditched. No parachutes were seen to come from the aircraft.
The crew members of N5-210 were:
Lieutenant C Reimens (NEIAF) (Bombardier)
Lieutenant H Spoel (RN Navy) (Pilot)
Sergeant B van der Linde (NEIAF) (Wireless Operator)
Sergeant J van Polanen (RN Navy) (Top Gunner)
Lieutenant P van Straalen (RN Navy) (Second Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Douglas Victor Webley (434672) (Tail Gunner)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A9845, 24
Bibliography:
Hurst, D. (Doug) The Fourth Ally: The Dutch forces in Australia in WWII, Doug Hurst, Canberra, 2001