Goddard, John Edward

Suggest an edit/submit more info Submit a photo

Personal Information

Rank F/L
Forename(s) John Edward
Surname Goddard
Gender M
Age 21
Decorations DFC
Date of Death 08-09-1944
Next of Kin Son of Bertrand Decimus Goddard and Olive Lilian Kate Goddard, of Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia.
GODDARD JE 658

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Avro Lancaster III
Serial Number PB123
Markings 6O-O

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place Runnymede Memorial
Grave Reference Panel 256.
Epitaph

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase 2
Panel Number 170

Enlistment Information

Service Number 420658
Service Royal Australian Air Force
Group 3
Squadron 582
Trade Pilot
Country of Origin Australia

Miscellaneous Information

F/L Goddard was awarded the DFC (effective 7th September 1944) whilst with 582 Squadron. Gazetted 18th September 1945. F/L Debeer was awarded the DFC (effective 7th September 1944) whilst with 582 Squadron. Gazetted 12th February 1946. P/O Mackenzie was awarded the DFC whilst with 582 Squadron. Gazetted 12th December 1944. Pilot Officer Mackenzie reported: “At 7.15am on 8 September 1944, the plane came in over Le Havre under the cloud with a base of 5,000 feet. The Germans opened up with flak hitting us. I was sitting at the side of Johnny (Goddard) in the second pilot’s seat, when there was a crash and the intercom went dead and fire broke out around the wireless operator. There was a second bang right after the first and the whole front cabin filled with smoke and fire. Johnny shouted for full power and then shouted “jump Mac”. I got down and went back to the navigator’s cabin which was full of smoke, and dragged my chute out, then Neville’s, and then shouted into the smoke that we had to get out. A voice shouted OK. I turned back to the front escape hatch with two figures behind me, which might have been Neville and Howard. When I reached the hatch, it was open and Alan De Beer was just jumping. I went straight out over his heels. After my chute opened I could see the plane with all of the fuselage on fire flying on, until it disappeared into cloud. I looked below and saw another chute, Alan De Beer. After coming down some distance, I heard a crash which I assumed was the plane hitting the ground, but could not see any more chutes.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Click here to view

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/2052/12
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/2052/11

Fellow Servicemen

Baker H W (F/L)
Beecroft J (F/S)
Daniel W N (P/O)
Lythgoe G E (W/O)
Newton R A (F/O)

Last Operation Information

Start Date 08-09-1944
End Date 08-09-1944
Takeoff Station Little Staughton
Day/Night Raid Day
Operation le Havre- to bomb enemy strongholds near the garrison. 333 aircraft. Bad weather with lots of low cloud- only 109 aircraft bombed. This was the last time Stirlings were used on an operational raid.
Reason for Loss Presumed crashed in the target area

Honour This Person

Since 1945 the brave men and women who gave their lives whilst in the service of Bomber Command, to protect our country have been largely ignored and forgotten by successive governments.

It is now time to make that right.

Honour this person now

Events At IBCC

We have an exciting events programme here at IBCC! From Concerts with stars to our annual Salute to the 40s weekend, from Dinner dances to Family Fun Days..

Something for all the family!

View Upcoming Events
 
 
 
 

Please Wait

Close

Suggest An Edit

I warrant that the information i’m supplying is accurate to the best of my knowledge and I have the rights to provide this information.

Submit a Photo

I warrant that I own the copyright or have the correct commercial print licences in place for the images and or artwork I’m uploading.

Once submitted, your photo will be submitted for verification and will be shown on the database record shortly.

Disclaimer I acknowledge that I remain the copyright holder of the original document(s). I hereby grant copyright in the digital version to the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) and I consent to IBCC making digital copies freely available online under a Creative Commons non-commercial licence. IBCC may also use, reproduce or incorporate it into other works in any media, or licence its use for purposes of ensuring the sustainability of its Digital Archive and Losses Database. I understand that digital copies will be owned and controlled by IBCC, and I irrevocably agree to IBCC using and publishing digital copies however it sees fit, but always in line with its responsibilities to preserve and protect such ephemera.

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.