CAPTAIN: McEGAN
LANCASTER A-APPLE - JB238
22nd November 1943, crashed at Achmer, 4km WSW of Bramsche. Fatalities originally buried at Achmer, now in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.
CREW
Pilot: P/O Eugene Francis McEgan, RAAF, 403200
Killed
Flight Engineer: F/Sgt William Frances Alfred Williams, RAAF, 21213
Killed
Navigator: P/O Adrian Spencer
PoW
Bomb Aimer: F/O John Vincent Tyler, 51097
Killed
W/Op: Sgt J.J.Johnson
PoW
M/U Gunner: Sgt W.S.Gibb
PoW
Rear Gunner: Sgt W.G.Duncan (Warrant Officer John Burke, DFM?)
PoW
LANCASTER A-APPLE - JB238
22nd November 1943, crashed at Achmer, 4km WSW of Bramsche. Fatalities originally buried at Achmer, now in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.
CREW
Pilot: P/O Eugene Francis McEgan, RAAF, 403200
Killed
Flight Engineer: F/Sgt William Frances Alfred Williams, RAAF, 21213
Killed
Navigator: P/O Adrian Spencer
PoW
Bomb Aimer: F/O John Vincent Tyler, 51097
Killed
W/Op: Sgt J.J.Johnson
PoW
M/U Gunner: Sgt W.S.Gibb
PoW
Rear Gunner: Sgt W.G.Duncan (Warrant Officer John Burke, DFM?)
PoW
Extract from "Bombers over Berlin" by Alan Cooper [Note: McEgan's name incorrectly spelt]
An aircraft from 97 Squadron (JB238 'A') flown by Pilot Officer MacEgan, was hit by flak over Berlin and the return was made on two engines. They were hit again over Osnabruck and MacEgan gave the order to bale out when they were at 18,000 feet. Pilot Officer Adrian Spencer made his way towards the front of the aircraft and found the pilot's seat empty. He and the bomb aimer, Flying Officer Tyler, tried to keep the aircraft on a reasonable straight and level flight-path, and found that the W/Op and mid-upper had baled out.
MacEgan had in fact collapsed over the front hatch and Tyler tried to help him but by this time the aircraft was down to 200 feet. Seconds later it struck the ground, ploughing into a farmyard six miles from Osnabruck aerodrome. Spencer, Sergeant Johnson, Sergeant Gibb and wireless operator, Warrant Officer Burke, all survived. Spencer was dazed by the crash and as he crawled out of the wreckage was captured by men of the German Home Guard. He was later taken to Frankfurt for interrogation and later to Stalag Luft 1 at Barth. He remained a prisoner until liberated by Russian troops in May 1945.
An aircraft from 97 Squadron (JB238 'A') flown by Pilot Officer MacEgan, was hit by flak over Berlin and the return was made on two engines. They were hit again over Osnabruck and MacEgan gave the order to bale out when they were at 18,000 feet. Pilot Officer Adrian Spencer made his way towards the front of the aircraft and found the pilot's seat empty. He and the bomb aimer, Flying Officer Tyler, tried to keep the aircraft on a reasonable straight and level flight-path, and found that the W/Op and mid-upper had baled out.
MacEgan had in fact collapsed over the front hatch and Tyler tried to help him but by this time the aircraft was down to 200 feet. Seconds later it struck the ground, ploughing into a farmyard six miles from Osnabruck aerodrome. Spencer, Sergeant Johnson, Sergeant Gibb and wireless operator, Warrant Officer Burke, all survived. Spencer was dazed by the crash and as he crawled out of the wreckage was captured by men of the German Home Guard. He was later taken to Frankfurt for interrogation and later to Stalag Luft 1 at Barth. He remained a prisoner until liberated by Russian troops in May 1945.
Eugene Francis McEgan, William Frances Alfred Williams, Adrian Spencer, John Vincent Tyler, J.J. Johnson, W.S.Gibb, W.G.Duncan
BELOW: Crew with McEgan standing at the back. No other names known, but a second photograph has been found with them all on the back (page down to see this).
DETAILS:
One of the many poignant tragedies of the Air War was the death of John Tyler, the bomb aimer, who lost his life whilst trying to save his captain Frank McEgan. McEgan was an Australian, who as a boy was known by his family as Possum, or Poss for short. As he grew up he took on the name of Frank instead, and this is what he was known as in the RAF.
His nephew Julian Rice recently wrote to me (October 2008) about the proposal for this page:
"This man had a very large influence on my life, and I would love to honour him. He was by all accounts an unusually focussed airman. "
This focus included building his own glider in Australia before he joined the RAF!
One of the many poignant tragedies of the Air War was the death of John Tyler, the bomb aimer, who lost his life whilst trying to save his captain Frank McEgan. McEgan was an Australian, who as a boy was known by his family as Possum, or Poss for short. As he grew up he took on the name of Frank instead, and this is what he was known as in the RAF.
His nephew Julian Rice recently wrote to me (October 2008) about the proposal for this page:
"This man had a very large influence on my life, and I would love to honour him. He was by all accounts an unusually focussed airman. "
This focus included building his own glider in Australia before he joined the RAF!
Julian Rice, McEgan's nephew, wrote in October 2008 about the second photo:
Amazing luck! These (and a whole case of other family memorabilia) have been sitting quietly in a suitcase above my parents wardrobe for over 25 years since my grandmother, Irene McEgan, Frank's mother, died in 1980. I was in Papua New Guinea in the remote highlands at the time and my sister found my grandmother burning photos and throwing letters away...she managed to convince my Grandmother that others might be interested. Thank God my sister caught her! Last night I opened it for the first time in 10 years (luckily I had scanned the logbook pages about 1999) only to find that a water heater leak in the roof had damaged some of the contents, including the logbook, luckily not seriously, but now my scanned pages are the best record. Note the back of the photo which has some fascinating detail.
In the original photo on the wing McEgan is leaning on Tyler's shoulders, and Spencer is partly obscured on the right. In this new photo at the tail of a Lancaster (odd turret shape?) their names have lower ranks so it must be earlier. Not 467 RAAF as their code was different, code PO.
Amazing luck! These (and a whole case of other family memorabilia) have been sitting quietly in a suitcase above my parents wardrobe for over 25 years since my grandmother, Irene McEgan, Frank's mother, died in 1980. I was in Papua New Guinea in the remote highlands at the time and my sister found my grandmother burning photos and throwing letters away...she managed to convince my Grandmother that others might be interested. Thank God my sister caught her! Last night I opened it for the first time in 10 years (luckily I had scanned the logbook pages about 1999) only to find that a water heater leak in the roof had damaged some of the contents, including the logbook, luckily not seriously, but now my scanned pages are the best record. Note the back of the photo which has some fascinating detail.
In the original photo on the wing McEgan is leaning on Tyler's shoulders, and Spencer is partly obscured on the right. In this new photo at the tail of a Lancaster (odd turret shape?) their names have lower ranks so it must be earlier. Not 467 RAAF as their code was different, code PO.
Australian Casualty List with McEgan's name on it.
Battle of Berlin - November 1943-March 1944
