LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Rodger Peryman WISHART
Service No: 400907
Born: Adelaide SA, 10 November 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 10 November 1940 (at Melbourne VIC)
Unit: No. 97 Squadron (RAF), RAF Bourne, Cambridgeshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 97 Squadron Lancaster aircraft JB535), Netherlands, 30 January 1944, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Barsingerhorn (Kolhorn) General Cemetery, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Harold Peryman Wishart and Daisy Vera Wishart, of Pascoe Vale South, Victoria, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Essendon VIC
Remembered: Panel 132, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Lancaster JB535 took off from RAF Bourn at 1715 hours on the night of 30/31st January 1944 to bomb Berlin. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. It was believed that the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at 2210 hours local time at Kolhorn (Noord-Holland), 7 kms east north east of Schagen. All the crew were killed and they are buried in the Barsingerhorn (Kolhorn) General Cemetery.
The crew members of JB535 were:
Sergeant Richard Venville Thomas Bowerman (1605444) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer Eric James Lovelace Carpenter (147119) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer Thomas Eric Charles (412902) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Ernest Sumner Clarke MID (107142) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flying Officer Norman Charles Law (415432) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant George Ridley (949503) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Rodger Peryman Wishart (400907) (Rear 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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/64/152