Banks, Ivan William

Personal Information

Rank F/S
Forename(s) Ivan William
Surname Banks
Gender M
Age 20
Date of Death 25-06-1943
Next of Kin Son of William Henry and Alice Banks, of South Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.
BANKS IW

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Avro Lancaster I
Serial Number ED373
Markings SR-K

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Netherlands
Burial/Memorial Place Amsterdam New Eastern Cemetery
Grave Reference Plot 69. Row B. Coll. grave 18.
Epitaph NOT JUST TODAY BUT EVERY DAY IN SILENCE WE REMEMBER

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase 1
Panel Number 5

Enlistment Information

Service Number 405803
Service Royal Australian Air Force
Group 1
Squadron 101
Squadron Motto Mens agitat molem (Mind over matter)
Trade Pilot
Country of Origin Australia

Other Memorials

Location St. Mary & St. Peter's Church, Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Sqn Standard & Roll of Honour in wooden bookcase
Memorial Text In memory of 101 Squadron 1943-45 based at RAF Ludford Magna
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Location Village Centre, Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Pillar & Brass plaque on adjacent bench
Memorial Text In memory of 101 Squadron 1943-45 based at RAF Ludford Magna
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Location The White Hart PH, Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Metal on external wall of PH
Memorial Text In memory of the men and women of 101 Squadron 1943-45
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Location The National Aboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Monument
Memorial Text This memorial is dedicated to all those who served on 101 Squadron, and honours those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We will remember you.
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Miscellaneous Information

In the late 1990s Lyndon Pugh, the nephew of one of the air gunners Ronald Pugh, interviewed the surviving bomb aimer, former F/Sgt. Geoff Brook. He reported that the aircraft was attacked by Luftwaffe ace Karl–Heinz Scherfling. Geoff also reported that none of the crew saw Scherfling's approach, which he thought was from ahead and to one side. Sgt. Ronnie Pugh was killed in the initial attack, and a few minutes later F/Sgt. Billy Banks RAAF, the pilot, ordered the crew to bale out. Geoff was sure that Ronnie was already dead. As Geoff prepared to leave, the escape hatch jammed and although he tried for some time he was unable to open it. While struggling with the hatch he could hear some of the crew talking to each other, but when it finally opened there was no response to his calls to his comrades. It is likely that by then they had been overcome by smoke. Geoff then left the aircraft and watched it fly on straight and level, suggesting that Billy Banks was still at the controls, until it crashed into the sea with what Geoff called "a huge explosion." Some sources have all the crew leaving the aircraft, but Geoff was absolutely certain that none of his comrades left the stricken Lancaster. What remains of the bomber, if anything, lies in an area characterised by shifting sandbanks off Zandvoort, and this probably explains why no wreckage has ever been found. A rudder, believing to have come from ED373 SR–K, was found some way inland by a local farmer.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The National Archives

Fellow Servicemen

Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.

Last Operation Information

Start Date 25-06-1943
End Date 26-06-1943
Takeoff Station Ludford Magna
Day/Night Raid Night (38% moon)
Operation Gelsenkirchen
Reason for Loss Shot down by night fighter Karl–Heinz Scherfling operating off Dutch coast.
 
 
 
 

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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.