Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Arthur Lennox McDonald was born at Raymond Terrance, NSW in 1918. The son of Archibald Gillies McDonald and his wife, Grace Lennox McDonald.

Arthur was a Bank Officer when war was declared in 1939. He was working in the Bank of NSW in Newcastle when PM Bob Menzies made his meloncholic war speech in 1939.

The persistence of Germany's invasion of Poland was the causation for Great Britain's war declaration.

The PM had used national radio to promugate those grim tidings direct to his fellow Australians  "... Great Britain had declared war upon her (Germany), and that as a result, Australia was also at war".   

Arthur had militia service in the 16th Machine Gun Regiment. However, he aspired to be an RAAF Pilot. He likely aspired to be a Spitfire Pilot having followed the epic Battle of Britain news reels during 1940. 

For it was not until 09 Dec 1940 that he was accepted as RAAF Aircrew. For eight long months were needed for the Empire Air Training Scheme to be fully operational. This was due to the enormous logistics.

For training Aircraft had to be manufactured in great quantity plus numerous fields cleared throught out the Empire to build requisite aerodromes. These included both basic and advanced single plus multi engined aircraft.

Additionally, Flying and Ground Instructors also had to be recruited and trained.

Arthur made the initial sorting cut to continue in his RAAF Pilot training stream. Hence he was sent to Canada for his Service Flying Training in Empire Air Training Scheme units.

He got his wings after passing his flight test at RCAF Station Macleod, near Alberta, Canada in mid 1941.

Arthur was then streamed for Bomber Command, not his preferred Fighter Command. For the strategic Night Bomber Offensive was about to begin.

Hence current RAF demand was not for Fighter Pilots but Bomber Pilots. The operational needs of the RAF came before his specialized preference. 

The Battle of Britain was over by the time Arthur got his wings in Canada. Hence, he was sent from there to England for his Night Bomber Pilot conversion. 

Following his RAF Night Bomber crew training, he was posted to No. 49 Sqn RAF. He would have flown the twin engined Avro Manchester. That machine proved to be inffective in combat. Hence, Arthur was withdrawn from Ops to retrain on the new four engined variant. 

This was the famous Avro Lancaster.

That war winning design as it was fitted with four Rolls Royce Merlin Engines.

Arthur re-commenced Ops as an Avro Lancaster Pilot in No. 106 Sqn RAF on 08 October 1942. His CO at that time was Wg Cdr Guy Gibson RAF. His then boss subsequently got a VC in the inconic Dambuster raid.  

Arthur was dead by then. He was killed six days before his 106 Sqn boss was directed to select experienced Avro Lancaster crews to form Sqn X. This became the famous 617 Sqn. Gibson's hand picked crews whom he trained would be making the epic 1943 dambuster raid. 

P/O Arthur McDonald RAAF was flying RAF Lancaster R5749 when it was hit by heavy Flak and exploded. Arthur had just hit his target at Esson. Hence was homeward bound when R5749 was coned and hit.  

His bombardier, was lucky to be able to don a parachute after he had discharging his cockpit duty. The only crew member to have been injured by an ealier Flak burst. Sgt Robert Lindsay RAAF, the bombardier, was blown out from the exploding Lancaster. Fortunately, he recovered consciousness in time to pull his rip cord. The sole survivor from that R5749 RAF Lancaster crew.

Robert was captured near the target that he had just bombed. His 1945 liberated POW debrief is the only eye witness account of R5749 RAF Lancaster crew fate.

Robert was informed after his capture that all his R5749 RAF Lancaster crewmates were dead.  

Arthur Lennox McDonald was 24 years old when he was K.I.A.

Lest We Forget.