LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Peter Berchman WHITE
Service No: 419495
Born: Melbourne VIC, 1 September 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 14 August 1942
Unit: No. 44 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Dunholme Lodge
Died: Air Operations: (No. 44 Squadron Lancaster aircraft NN697), France, 9 June 1944, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Morigny-Champigny Communal Cemetery, Essonne, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Harry Lancaster White and Madge White; husband of Thelma White, of North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Melbourne VIC
Remembered: Panel 132, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2203 hours on the night of 9h June 1944 Lancaster NN697 took off from Dunholme Lodge to bomb the rail junction at Etampes, France. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed near Morigny-Champigny in the Department of (Essonne), 2 kms north east of Etampes and all on board were killed.
The crew members of NN697 were:
Flying Officer Desmond Ernest Balsdon (160069) (RAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant Gerald Joseph Burns (1796555) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flying Officer Frederick John Clubb (423641) (Navigator)
Sergeant Leslie Frederick Death (1250525) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Edwards Lawrence O’Neill (R/161795) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Richard Stuart Lynton Walters (1587139) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer)
Pilot Officer Peter Berchman White (419495) (Wireless Air Gunner)
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, 166/43/708