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| Date: | Saturday 1 September 1945 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Consolidated B-24 Liberator B Mk VI |
| Owner/operator: | 99 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | KL491 |
| MSN: | ex.44-49097 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Sungei Ron POW Camp, Palembang, South Sumatra -
 Indonesia
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAAF Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport (YPCC) |
| YPCC |
Liberator KL491 (ex.44-49097) : "Crew had just dropped some magazines and a handwritten note of encouragement" to allied POWs being held at the not-yet-liberated Sungei Ron POW Camp in Palembang, Indonesia. KL491 was seen "to come in at low level, make a steep banking turn, and side-slip into the ground". Prisoners recalled hearing small arms fire prior to the crash, but it could not be determined if Japanese fire contributed to the crash. All eight RAF crew were killed instantly and were buried at the Jakarta War Cemetery
Crew:
F/Sgt Donald Stewart BOWDEN (1589064) Bomb Aimer RAFVR: killed
F/O John Frank MANKTELOW (166106) Pilot RAFVR: killed
F/Sgt John MARTIN (1570492) Air Gunner RAFVR: killed
F/Sgt George William NEWTON (1513718) WOp RAFVR: killed
F/Sgt Jack PARKES (1543238) WOp RAFVR: killed
F/O Alec William PEARSON (166433) Nav. RAFVR: killed
W/O Thomas Henry John RYALLS (1892034) Flt Eng. RAFVR: killed
F/O John Edwin Hosking STEELE (173037) Pilot RAFVR: killed
Flying Officer Steele is also remembered on a family grave in south London. See source 3.
Sources:
1."Prisoner of Nippon" by Ray W. Stubbs
2.CWGC
3. https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/81682
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Jul-2023 02:07 | Ron Averes | Updated |
| 12-May-2024 11:03 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, ] |
| 12-May-2024 11:47 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, ] |
| 31-Jan-2025 11:12 | Richard | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
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