On the night of 8th / 9th September 1942 the crew of this 460 Squadron aircraft were tasked with flying an operational flight to bomb Frankfurt and left Breighton at 20.20hrs. The aircraft was hit by flak outbound off Dunkirk at 21.35hrs and owing to the damage the crew returned to base with their bombs landing at 00.25hrs.
Pilot - Sgt James Christopher Pearson RAAF (404941), of Manly Vale, New South Wales, Australia.
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Ronald William Lawton RAAF (406599), of Boulder City, Western Australia
Navigator - Sgt Lawrence Matthew John Evans RAAF (407735), of York, Western Australia.
Wireless Operator - P/O Eric Cliffe Parton RAAF (411102), of Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia.
Rear Gunner - Sgt Keith Campbell Bennett RAAF (407992), of Malvern, South Australia.
Wellington Z1384 was built to contract B.97887/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Hawarden, Chester and was awaiting collection in November 1941. 45 MU at Kinloss initially received the aircraft on 22nd November 1941 and it was taken on charge by 460 Squadron on 13th December 1941 who were then based at Molesworth. They then moved to Breighton on 4th January 1942. As a result of the minor battle damage sustained on 26th April 1942 Cat.A/FB was the assessment and it was repaired on site. The aircraft's AM Form 78 lists a repair on site being started by a team from Fairfields on 1st May 1942 and it was then returned to 460 Squadron on 13th June 1942 once complete. The aircraft then sustained further battle damage on 8th / 9th September 1942 and then caught fire on 13th September 1942 when the engines were being run-up at Breighton. Neither incident is listed on the AM Form 78. 460 Squadron converted from Wellingtons to Lancasters in October 1942 so their Wellingtons were flown elsewhere, Z1384 was taken on charge by 301 Squadron on 14th October 1942 and was later transferred to 305 Squadron on 2rd April 1943. On 6th January 1944 it was passed to 23 MU at Aldergrove where it was placed in storage. On 25th March 1944 it suffered another engine fire while it was being started, this time at Aldergrove and after which it was not repaired. Cat.E2/GA damage was the assessment and it was struck off charge.
On 10th September 1942 Pearson, Lawton, Parton and Evans were on board Wellington R1695 on Ops to Dusseldorf ditched off Norfolk after suffering engine failure out-bound. Lawton and Evans were rescued and taken to hospital but the remaining three crew including Sgt Pearson and P/O Parton were not found and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Sgt Pearson was twenty seven years old and F/O Parton was twenty eight years old.
James Pearson was born on 31st December 1914 in Hornsby, New South Wales and enlisted in Brisbane.
Ronald Lawton was born on 18th April 1911 in Boulder City, Western Australia and enlisted in Perth. He was later commissioned and was awarded the DFC for service with 460 Squadron, Gazetted on 17th August 1943 but not presented until 9th November 1944 by which time he had returned to Australia and was presented with it at Government House, Perth. He was also awarded the Bar to the DFC, Gazetted on 6th June 1944, again for service with 460 Squadron and presented on the same date as his DFC. The citation for his DFC has not been located but the citation for his Bar to the DFC reads.. "F/O Lawton, now on his second tour of operational duty, has taken part in attacks against such strongly defended objectives as Berlin, Leipzig, Augsburg, Stettin and Frankfurt. As an air bomber he has pressed home the attacks with a complete disregard of enemy opposition. This officer's coolness, co-operation and devotion to duty have contributed much to the successes attained by his crew."
Lawrence Evans was born on 3rd October 1919 in York, Western Australia and enlisted on 4th January 1941 in Adelaide but was living in St.Leonards, South Australia at the time. On arrival in the UK he trained at 2 AOS at Millom from 15th December 1941 before heading to 27 OTU on 12th January 1942 and 20 OTU on 4th May 1942 and was posted to 460 Squadron on 20th June 1942. After recovering from his injuries in the ditching he was released from RAF Hospital Rauceby on 6th October 1942 and converted to the four engined bombers at 460 Conversion Flight. He later returned to 460 Squadron and completing his tour on Lancasters. He returned to Australia in 1944 and finished the War in the Pacific Theatre flying with 1 RAAF Squadron and 8 RAAF Squadron before being released.
Keith Bennett was killed on 14th September 1942 on Ops in Wellington Z1385. F/Sgt Bennett was twenty two years old and he was buried in Rheinburg War Cemetery, Germany. He was born on 9th January 1920 in Adelaide and enlisted there.