LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Ian Albert WEST
Service No: 427274
Born: North Fremantle WA, 12 April 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 15 June 1942
Unit: No. 1669 Conversion Unit (RAF), RAF Langar, Nottinghamshire
Died: Aircraft Accident (Lancaster aircraft PB570), UK area, 5 February 1945, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Albert Edward and Edith May West, of Palmyra, Western Australia.
Roll of Honour: Fremantle WA
Remembered: Panel 284, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 132, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
Lancaster PB570 of No 1669 Conversion Unit RAF, took off from RAF Langar to carry out a night cross country operational training flight. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. The route was Base – Basingstoke – Barnstaple – Bude – St Mary’s – Bardsey – Aberystwyth – Northampton – Base. It was later recorded that the missing crew had lost their lives at sea.
The crew members of PB570 were:
Sergeant Gerald Frederick Arthur Clapton (1605772) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Henry William Nevil Drawbridge (1804021) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Roy Holmes (RAFVR) (1676657) (Navigator)
Sergeant Eric Durham Keeling (1899507) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Leslie Marcus Tannen (1891873) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Sergeant Peter Hadrian Voller (3025347) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Ian Albert West (427274) (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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/43/1139