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Beattie, Donald William

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Personal Information

Rank wo
Forename(s) Donald William
Surname Beattie
Gender M
Age 27
Date of Death 16-03-1946
Next of Kin Son of John Milborn Beattie and Edith Frances Beattie, of New Town.
BEATTIE DW

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Vickers Wellington III
Serial Number X3744
Markings JN-

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Australia
Burial/Memorial Place Hobart (Cornealian Bay) Public Cemetery
Grave Reference C. of E. Plot. Sec. KB. Grave 38. (GRM/7).
Epitaph

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase Post-War
Panel Number POST (not yet erected on site)

Enlistment Information

Service Number 408161
Service Royal Australian Air Force
Group
Squadron 150
Squadron Motto Always ahead
Trade WOp/AG
Country of Origin Australia

Other Memorials

Location RAF Snaith Memorial Gardens, Pollington, East Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Marble Monument, Bench & Metal Plaques
Memorial Text In memory of the airmen of R.A.F. 51 Sqn. (687) and 150 Sqn. (205) between 1941 - 1945
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Location St. John the Baptist Church, Pollington, East Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Slate Plaque and Rolls of Honour
Memorial Text Dedicated to the Personnel of 150 Squadron R.A.F. Snaith 1941-1942 Not for themselves alone
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Location St. Laurence Priory Church, Snaith, East Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Slate Plaque
Memorial Text Remembering the crew of Wellington III Z165I JN-M of 150 Sqn. R.A.F. Snaith 13/14th 09/1942
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Miscellaneous Information

Beattie slowly recovered from his wounds and was eventually repatriated to Australia. He was discharged from the RAAF on 25 December 1944, and died in Melbourne on 16 March 1946. His death was deemed directly attributable to war service.
The Pilot was awarded the DFC for his efforts in bringing the stricken aircraft back to England. It was promulgated in the London Gazette on 4 September 1942 with the following citation: Pilot Officer Roy Charles MUNSON (112298), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 150 Squadron. One night in August, 1942, this officer was captain of an aircraft detailed to attack Mainz. Whilst crossing the enemy coast on the outward flight, the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire, sustaining damage to the port wing and the fuselage; several electric circuits also failed. In spite of this, Pilot Officer Munson resolutely flew on to his target, where he pressed home his attack. On the return journey his aircraft was attacked by a hostile fighter. The rear gunner was killed, the wireless operator wounded and the aircraft sustained further damage. The starboard engine was hit and various instruments, including the airspeed indicator, were put out of action. The controls became temporarily jammed but after a great effort, Pilot Officer Munson managed to free them and decided to make an attempt to fly the Aircraft back to this country. He eventually reached the English coast where he was compelled to effect a crash landing. This he did successfully in spite of difficulties. By his skill courage and determination, this officer surmounted a most perilous situation, thereby safeguarding the lives of his crew and much valuable equipment.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

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The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1010/16
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1010/15

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.

Bell P (F/S)

Last Operation Information

Start Date 11-08-1942
End Date 12-08-1942
Takeoff Station Snaith
Day/Night Raid Night (0% moon)
Operation Mainz
Reason for Loss Attacked by a night fighter, killing the Rear Gunner (F/Sgt. Bell) instantly and severely injuring the WOp/AG (Sgt. Beattie). Extensive damage was sustained by the aircraft, which had been hit by flak on the outward leg. The Pilot was able to reach the coast with difficulty, after which he was guided by searchlight units to RAF Coltishall, where the aircraft crashed on landing.

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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.