| Pilot Officer Jack
Henningham
was piloting Lancaster Mk.I ND416 coded UL-G2 during an
operation to Stettin on
January 5/6, 1944. The aircraft crashed 40 km from Stettin and all
of the crew were killed. The other
crewmembers were:
|
Name |
Service |
Trade |
Hometown |
Age |
|
Sgt Arthur Baker |
RAFVR |
Flight Engineer |
- |
- |
|
Sgt Arthur Davis |
RAFVR |
Navigator |
Wickford, Essex |
20 |
|
F/Sgt Kenneth Barton |
RAFVR |
Bomb Aimer |
Bickley, Kent |
21 |
|
Sgt Frederick Wright |
RAFVR |
Wop/AG |
- |
- |
|
Sgt Leslie Colbourne |
RAFVR |
Air Gunner |
Dudley, Worcester |
25 |
|
Sgt James Kennison |
RAF |
Air Gunner |
Bescot, Walsall, Staffs |
32 |
Pilot Officer John "Jack" Romer
Henningham RAAF was born in Burwood, Sydney, New South Wales on
28th May 1922. He was a junior clerk and then a Police cadet in
the 1930's. At the time cadets were chosen at the age of 17 for
outstanding academic and sporting achievements and Jack had joined
to study law, hoping to become a Crown prosecutor or perhaps a
judge. He was an all round athlete, first grade cricketer,
footballer (rugby and soccer), rower and runner.
Jack Henning with Brother Paul (left) in Sydney 1942 Jim Kennison, Jack Henningham and Arthur Davies Jack Henningham with future brother in law Jack St. Clair in New York
Jack is at the far left of the middle row.
Jack is at the far left of the middle row.
Jack was the second of four
children and son to Herbert and Mercy Henningham. His family was a
military family with a proud history. Herbert had a distinguished
military career and aged 17, had fought at Gallipoli and France,
being awarded the Military Cross and mentioned in dispatches. In
WW2 he was Captain on Garrison duties commanding machine gun
companies on NSW coastal defense installations. His mother Mercy
came to Australia as a war bride after serving with the VAD in
WW1. His brother Herbert (Paul) served in WW2 as an infantry
Lieutenant in the South West Pacific. His sister Loris served in
WW2 in the WAAAF as a flight-rigger and married Jack's friend,
Samuel John St.Clair, also know as "Jack", a Bomber pilot and
close friend of Jack's who he befriended during pilot training.
Ironically, they first met
after he visited the family to pay his respects after Jack was
shot down. His other sister Pamela married Capt. Ian Wood who
served in the Merchant Navy in WW2.
Jack Henningham enlisted in
the RAAF at Sydney on the 16th August 1941 before being
commissioned as a Pilot Officer on 8th October 1943 and was
21 years of age at the time of his death. Originally he was buried
with his crew at Pasewalk but they were later re-interred in
the 1939-1945 Berlin War Cemetery.
|
