CREW MEMBER PROFILE

Surname:

WESTERN

First Name/s:

Malcolm George

Service No/s:

417917

Service:

RAAF

Branch:

Air Gunner

Awards:

39-45 Star, Air Crew Europe Star, Defence Medal, War Medal

Return

SERVICE RECORDS

Date

Event

Aircraft Flown

18 Dec 1941

Applied for Air Crew, 5 Receiving Centre, Adelaide, SA

06 Jan 1942

Oath taken

18 Jul 1942

No.4 Initial Training Course, Victor Harbour, SA; 30 (G) Course.

12 Sep 1942

Promoted LAC

17 Sep 1942

No.1 Wireless & Air Gunners' School, Ballarat, VIC

18 Mar 1943

No.3 Bombing & Gunnery School, West Sale, VIC; 30 (G) Course.

02 Apr 1943

Awarded Air Gunner Badge & promoted Sgt (Temporary)

26 Apr 1943

No. 2 Embarkation Depot, Bradfield Park, NSW

05 May 1943

Embarked Brisbane

07 Jul 1943

No. 11 (RAAF) Personnel Despatch & Receiving Centre, Brighton

10 Aug 1943

No. 27 Operational Training Unit, Lichfield

Wellington

18 Sep 1943

No. 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit, Lindholme

Halifax, Lancaster?

01 Oct 1943

Promoted Flt Sgt

07 Oct 1943

7 - 17 Oct 43 No. 1481 Bomber (Gunnery) Flight, Newmarket, Suffolk (attached)

30 Oct 1943

30 Oct - 05 Dec 43 - Hospitalised in Station Sick Quarters

05 Dec 1943

Joined No. 576 Squadron at Elsham Wolds, Linconshire

Lancaster

16 Dec 1943

Lost in DV342 UL-G2 (Berlin)

Lancaster

576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS

Date

Aircraft

Code

Flight Details

T/O

Land

Flt Time

Crew

16 Dec 1943

DV342

UL-G2

BERLIN

1630

nk

nk

P1   Fg Off R.S. McAra
P2   
FE   Sgt J.L. Barrett
AB   Flt Sgt C. Chapman
NAV  Fg Off G.L. Blackmore RAAF
WOp  Sgt E. Russom
MUG  Flt Sgt M.G. Western RAAF
RG   Flt Sgt A.A. Harris RAAF

NOTES:

Failed to return. All crew killed. Shot down either by Hptm. Walter Borgers of Stab III./NJG5 (Aircrew Remembered), or by Fwbl. Herbert Herre of 3./JG 302 in a Bf109G (AviationSafety.net & Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943) (tbc) at 2008 hrs at 10,000 ft. Seen to burst into flames and explode over Lichtenberg, 10 km ENE Berlin. Pieces of the aircraft fell over a wide area; one of the engines fell in Rittergutstraße, where two of the crew (Chapman & Russell) were found; another engine fell in Verbindungsweg. A local policeman remembered that they were dressed in blue and each wore a white woollen sweater and escape boots. Both men wore parachute harnesses but there was no sign of the parachutes. The two bodies were taken to a central mortuary in Berlin and later buried in Doberlitz-Elsgrund German Military Cemetery, later interred at the Berlin 1939-45 War Cemetery. No trace of the other crewmen was found.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

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PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS

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