[Laurent Rizzotti]

Thanks Henk

I wonder where the date of 2 Oct 43 came from ? On Malta Memorial two airmen of 18 Sqn RAF are commemorated for the 1st, and none on the 2nd.

By the way by checking that I finally found the fate of another aircraft lost this day, solving the fate of the three non-18 Sqn men commemorated for the 1st October 1943 on Malta Memorial:

In the evening of the 1st October 1943, the Sunderland III DV974 of 204 Sqn RAF was destroyed in a crash when returning to its base of Bathurst, Gambia, West Africa. He overshot twice the landing area when attempting to alight on the water in the dark with a heavy load, and the second time the pilot, Flt Lt Mayberry RAAF, reacted too late, adopting the overshot procedure after having passed the third flare. The Sunderland hit the water at 2205 hrs in a nose down attitude, maybe because the pilot misjudged his height in the dark and thought he could drop his nose to gain extra speed because of his loading. The aircraft turned completely over on impact and broke in two at the bomb room. A pinnacle and a control boat immediately came to the wreckage and picked up six survivors (Sgt Ford, Todd, Boynes, Rees, Jorgenson and Flt Sgt Baker), one of them (Baker) seriously wounded. A seventh man, Sgt Davies, was drifting close by in the water and was picked up shortly later. Despite a careful search of the area the three remaining crew weren’t found and are commemorated on the Malta Memorial: Sgt William Trevor Barnes, Sergent Leonard Hare and Flt Lt Clement Campbell Mayberry RAAF.

Source:
Malta Memorial listing and casualty details on http:/www.cwgc.org
“401386, Flight Lieutenant, MAYBERRY, Clement Campbell - Casualty – Repatriation” report available online in Australian archives (http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/ItemDetail.asp?M=0&B=1073747)

Hope it helps

Laurent