On the night of 10th / 11th August 1943 the crew of this aircraft were undertaking an operational flight to bomb
The Lancaster was attacked and damaged by an Me110 and the gunners in the Lancaster returned fire, later claiming it as being damaged. They abandoned the flight to and made for home but on their return to England the Lancaster crew found themselves off course and after spotting search-lights being shone from Catfoss airfield they made a safe landing there.
The photograph shown above is believed to be Lancaster EB749. The minor damage to the Lancaster was later repaired.
Pilot - P/O Kenneth Rees Burbeck RAF (51326), of Shirley, Birmingham.
Flight Engineer - (probably) Sgt Phillip Mclaughlin Birt RAF (1567298).
Navigator - Sgt Harvey George Prins RNZAF (415782), of Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand.
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Edmund James Deaves RAFVR (1434590), wife of Lanesfield, Wolverhampton.
Wireless Operator - Sgt William Bunney Marchant RAF (655660).
Air Gunner - Sgt J W Dean.
Air Gunner - F/Sgt John Louis Ward Betson RAAF (409887), late of Harrow, Victoria, Australia.
Kenneth Burbeck received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 11th February 1943 and rose to F/O on 11th August 1943. He was born on Aberystwyth in 1920 and was the son of John Edward Burbeck DCM and Frances Emily Burbeck. He is commemorated on the Aberystwyth War Memorial.
John Betson (photo above) was born on 11th March 1916 in Northampton, England and was the son of Jack and Ida (nee Ward) Betson. He married Olive Maud Guthridge in Horsham in May 1938 and appears to have moved to Australia not long after, resiing in the Harrow area of Victoria. Prior to enlisting for RAAF service he had worked as a truck driver and also undertaking general work on a sheep station. He enlisted on 7th November 1941 in Melbourne and undertook basic training in Auatralia, embarking Melbourne on 2nd December 1942 for the UK. On arrival in the UK he was posted to 7 AGS on 3rd March 1943, 28 OTU on 17th March 1943, 1662 HCU on 5th June 1943 and after completing training there was posted to 100 Squadron on 9th July 1943.
On 23rd September 1943 Burbeck, Prins, Deaves, Marchant, McLaughlin and Betson were still serving with 100 Squadron and were killed flying in Lancaster ED883 on Ops to Mannheim. They are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery.
