Lancaster HK680
From the 186 squadron records (Operations Record Book, form 541) I found the following. Some names are hard to read so this is a best guess.
---------------From Squadron Records----------------------
Date: 6-7/12/44 Time up for plane: 16.45 FTR
The Crew:
Pilot: F/O Powers, R.C., RAAF A.420264
NAV: Sgt. Best R.B.
A/B: W/O Latondresse, N., RCAF R.165226
WO/AIR: W/O Evans, R. M., RAAF A.418503
M/G: F/S Hemsley W.A.C.
R/G: F/S Skelton J. DFM
F/E: Sgt Short H.
Bomb Load 9 X 1000 AN-M59
Target MERSEBERG
10/10 Cloud. Bombed from 20,000 feet.
On homeward journey LE MANS area 23.20 hours 14,000 feet
Severe electric storms were encountered, all controls iced
Up and aircraft became unmanageable – failed to return to base.
Pilot gave order to Bale Out.
Crew safe with the exception of Rear Gunner. (Skelton)
(No further details available).
-----------------------------------End Squadron Records---
John Skelton 1697217 died December 6, 1944 and is buried in the Brussels Town Cemetery, Belgium
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/fi.../john-skelton/
On fold3 are the records for the pilot, Robert Charles Powers. (32 pages in all)
https://www.fold3.com/search?keyword...0500:Australia
On page 6 of his records (for those with fold3 access:
https://www.fold3.com/image/502983268) is a very brief medical record. It shows that on 7 December 1944 he was admitted to the 8th Army Gen Hospital in Brussels. From 10 December 1944 to 18 December 1944 he was in the Wroughton Hospital
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Wroughton
It is curious that the records state the plane iced up over Le Mans (France?). That is a long way from Brussels where Skelton is buried, and Powers was hospitalized. Is there a “Le Mans” Belgium, or did they mean to say “Mons” or something similar? Le Mans is mentioned in two places, both in the overall summary of the mission and in the individual comments for the plane. Several other returning plane reports mention storms and icing conditions and things like the airspeed indicator was out, so maybe?? they thought they were over Le Mans because their navigation was very off?
Crew names have been discussed before, such as here:
http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...-R-Mevans-RAAF
I believe that Evans was correctly identified as Robert Morrison Evans.