Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Alfred Hayward Bawden and Lilly May nee Cornish.

Harvey Hayward Bawden was born in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. In 1942, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as an air gunner. Bawden's service number was 419835. After completing initial training, he was sent to Great Britain via the United States to continue training on heavy bombers.

Bawden's first posting was to 153 Squadron at RAF Scampton, where he flew four operations. He was then transferred to 150 Squadron at RAF Hemswell. Bawden held the rank of Warrant Officer and served as a mid-upper gunner in a Lancaster bomber with the RAF 150 Squadron.

On their 29th mission in April 1945, a daylight raid on a German synthetic oil plant in the Ruhr Valley, Bawden's Lancaster was hit by anti-aircraft fire. His leg was broken before he bailed out. Most of his crew were killed by German forces after landing, with only Bawden and one other crew member surviving. Bawden managed to deploy his parachute and was captured by German forces.

As a prisoner of war, Bawden endured interrogation by Luftwaffe and civilian authorities and received medical treatment for his injuries in a military hospital. He was eventually rescued by advancing American forces clearing the Ruhr Pocket in May 1945.

Bawden paid tribute to his fallen comrades, who were buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. His detailed recollections were recorded in an interview with John Bowden on 10 August 2016 and are preserved in the IBCC Digital Archive.

Harvey Hayward Bawden's story is a record of his service and the experiences of RAAF airmen during World War II.