Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

At eighteen, Doug made a life-changing decision. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) to serve in the war against Germany. Despite his father’s attempts to persuade him otherwise, Doug was determined.

He trained at Mount Breckan. After completing his initial training, he was sent to Victoria for further instruction. From there, he boarded the Queen Mary with many other airmen and sailed to Canada for final training under the Empire Air Training Scheme.
Doug graduated as a Flight Sergeant Wireless Air Gunner. He was eventually posted to England.

Doug was posted to Lichfield and Church Broughton where he trained in Wellington Bombers. He also flew in Avro Lancaster bombers in Sandtoft as a rear tail gunner — one of the most perilous positions in Bomber Command.

On the night of 4–5 April 1945, Doug was on a cross-country training flight from RAF Sandtoft, Doug’s Lancaster, captained by Pilot Officer Grayson. His Lancaster ND639 was airborne from RAF Sandtoft at 22:00hrs on 4 April 1945 for crew training as part of a BULLSEYE exercise. The aircraft crashed and was destroyed by fire when it dived into the ground due to loss of control - presumed due to severe icing - at 02:58hrs on 5 April 1945. It came down near Windsor Lane, Crowle, Isle of Axholme, Lincolnshire. There is no known grave as his body was never recovered. His name is recorded on the RAF Runnymede Memorial. Doug was just 21 years old. It was just one month before the end of the war in Europe.