213471 Flt.Sgt. Herbert Reuben Mann Royal Australian Air Force 104 Squadron (d.19th July 1944) Flight Sergeant, Herbert Reuben Mann, 418968, RAAF, Died 19 July 1944. My Dad, enlisted in the RAAF., 20 June 1942, and qualified as an astro- navigator on 04/03/1943 at RAAF., Cootamundra, NSW., & then sailing from Brisbane on 06/05/1943 on board the U.S.A.A.T. Willard .A. Holbrook. Bound for the U.K., via the U.S.A. After some time with an O.T.U., in the U.K., he & his crew were posted to R.A.F., 104 squadron, based at Foggia, Southern Italy. Arriving there on 18/04/1944, & reporting to the C/O, the next day. Then in the evening of 19/7/1944, Wellington bomber LN760, D for Donald, crashed shortly after take off, 2 1/2 miles north west of Foggia main aerodrome. The port side Hercules engine was seen to be showering sparks during take off! The full crew were: Warrant Officer S F Gerty Pilot Pilot Officer S G M Ross Navigator Flight Sergeant H R Mann Bomb Aimer Sergeant J Woodward Wireless Operator Flight Sergeant R T J Griffiths Air Gunner All of the crew are buried in the Commonwealth War Cemetery, Bari, Italy. The crash incident is told in the book, “Wellington Wings” written by F.R.Chappell. My wife, Pam & I were honoured & privileged to have Roy Chappell visit our home, in Canberra Australia, on the 05/08/1994. He kindly autographed our copy of “Wellington Wings”
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