Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Gordon Edwin Beckhouse, known as Ted, was born on the 24th December 1923 at Port Kembla NSW to his parents Robert and Isobel Beckhouse.  He was the 3rd eldest of 5 children and also the eldest son.  The family moved to Wagga Wagga NSW about 1930 where his primary schooling took place at Tarcutta Provisional School and then he attended the Wagga Wagga High School.  The family moved to Newtown, an inner suburb of Sydney, about 1940 where Ted completed his education at Cleveland Street Intermediate High School at Alexandria.  He was a bright student attaining 5As and 2Bs on his Intermediate Certificate.  He played football for the Sydney High School Union while attending this school.  After completing his studies he became a clerk. 

On the 12th September 1942, aged 19, Ted enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in Sydney.  His service number was 424354 and his rank  Aircraftman.  At the time of writing this biography his service record was not open so I don’t have the history of his early training.  The information I have gathered has come mainly from his casualty report as well as from the log book of the pilot of his plane. 

Between September 1942, when he enlisted, and December 1943 he was promoted 3 times to then hold the rank of Flight Sergeant.  On the 10th December 1943 he was based at No. 17 Operational Training Unit (OTU) at Silverstone in England when he made his first flight in a Vickers Wellington plane with Australian Pilot Bruce Brittain and British Flight Sergeant Stanley Ashton as Navigator.  Three days later they were joined by British Fight Sergeant Ernest Couchman as the Bomb Aimer and then 2 weeks later by British Flight Sergeant Ernest “Harry” Wells as the Rear Gunner.  Canadian Sergeant Donald Grant joined the crew on the 1st January 1944 as Mid Upper Gunner.  The crew spent a month at the Air Crew School at Scampton from mid-February to mid-March then proceeded to the 1660 Conversion Unit at RAF Base Swinderby where they made their first flight together in a Stirling MK 3 plane on the 11th April 1944.  Later that same day they were joined by the final member of the crew, British Sergeant Ronald Gannon as Flight Engineer.  The 7 man crew made their first solo flight together in a Stirling Bomber on 11th April 1944 then in early May proceeded to the Lancaster Finishing School at RAF Syerston.  It was there they trained in the Avro Lancaster Bomber making their first solo flight in this plane on 8th May 1944. 

On the 19th May 1944, as part of RAF Bomber Command, Group 5, the entire crew were posted to the 630 Squadron at RAF East Kirkby in Lincolnshire.  They spent the rest of May practicing flying in Lancasters JB290, ME735 and ME650 in preparation for their first operational mission.  Of these 3 planes JB290 was the only one to see out the war. 

On the 24th May 1944 Ted and the crew flew a “Bullseye” operation in Lancaster ME735.  This was a bombing practice exercise and was the nearest thing that a training crew could get to an operational mission without actually being fired on.  The crew treated it as an exercise to navigate to a target and to experience having to evade, or perhaps being coned in searchlights, and work out how to deal with it. 

That same day a Lancaster Bomber arrived at RAF East Kirby...LM117, nicknamed “J-Jig”.  Four days later Ted and the crew made the first of 25 flights together in this plane and they didn’t have to wait long to see action. 

The first operational mission for Ted and the crew in LM117 was on 1st-2nd June.  They were just one of 6 brand new crews to take part in the night bombing on Saumur in Western France.  On the 8th June Pilot Bruce Brittain and his crew took off from RAF East Kirkby just after midnight in LM117 for a night bombing on Foret de Cerisy in north-western France.  The plane was fired on by a twin engine fighter but managed to corkscrew out of trouble as gunners Wells and Grant fired back and the fighter was lost from view. 

Operational flights lasted up to 12 hours, mostly at night, in unpressurised and ear-splittingly loud aircraft, working in cramped spaces and freezing conditions.  Over the next 6 weeks Bruce and his crew flew 9 more operational missions over France in LM117.

On the night of 18th July 1944 Ted and the crew took off in LM117 from RAF East Kirkby around 10.30pm, along with 9 other aircraft, for a bombing attack on Revigny.  There had already been 2 abortive raids by other groups on 12th-13th and 14th-15th July.  This was to be an ill-fated attack with 4 of the 10 aircraft being lost...including LM117.  Australian losses were particularly severe.

From reports of the events of that night Pilot Officer Bruce Brittain states:

“I was the Pilot in the crew of LM117 a Lancaster aircraft detailed to attack a target at Revigny on 18/19 July 1944.  At about 8,500ft, returning from target, the aircraft was hit by flack and took fire just behind rear part of fuselage and as aircraft was thus out of control I gave orders to bale out.  Bomb Aimer, Engineer, Navigator, then I personally, left by front escape hatch in that order.  I understand WOP (Wireless Operator) and first upper gunner left by rear door.  I am unable to say whether rear gunner got out.  Members commenced calling out at about 7,000ft.  Aircraft was in control at that time and was burning.  The MUG (Mid Upper Gunner) whom I later contacted on the ground, told me that he saw Flt/Sgt Beckhouse WOAG (Wireless Operator Air Gunner) jump from the rear escape hatch.  I did not see any other parachutes in the air nor did I make contact at the time of the crash with any other member of the crew.” 

“Returning from target aircraft hit by flak at about 8,500ft and took fire just behind rear spar of fuselage and as aircraft was thus out of control I gave orders to bale out.  Bomb Aimer, Engineer, Navigator then I personally left front escape hatch, in that order.  I understand WOP (Wireless Operator) and first Upper Gunner left by rear door.  I am unable to say whether Rear Gunner got out.  Members commenced bailing out at about 7,000ft.  Aircraft was in control at that time and was burning.  The MUG (Mid Upper Gunner), whom I later contacted on the ground, told me that he saw Flt/Sgt Beckhouse WOAG (Wireless Operator Air Gunner) jump from the rear escape hatch.  I did not see any other parachutes in the air nor did I make contact at the time of the crash with any other member of the crew.  Later in Paris I contacted the Mid Upper Gunner and returned to UK with him.” 

LM117 was hit by flak near Vitry around 12.45am, caught fire and crashed a short time later near Togny-aux-Boeufs (Marne) 13km south-east of Chalons-sur-Marne.  The entire crew baled out and parachuted safely to the ground, however upon landing, Ashton, Gannon and Wells were captured near Sogny and taken prisoner by the Germans.  Brittain, Couchman and Grant managed to evade capture but Ted, aged 20, was captured then subsequently executed with a bullet to the forehead by the German sentry posted to protect the railway line beside which he had landed.  This was reported by witnesses of the event.  A later report by the “Missing Research & Enquiry” team stated that the Mayor of Togny-Aux-Boeufs stated that he had brought in the body of a dead British airman who had baled out and landed just outside the village. This airman, according to the Mayor, had been shot by the Germans after landing.  The investigating Officer was shown a lifesaving jacket and on the interior saw the name Beckhouse.  Ted was buried in the cemetery at Togny-aux-Boeufs...Plot 1, Row 5, Grave 3.  He was the only WW2 airman fatality to be buried there. 

Ted left a note requesting that upon his death a package of correspondence be delivered to Nurse F Doust at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney NSW.  She was notified 2 days after the crash that Ted was missing in action at 9.30am on the 21st July.  Ted’s father was notified the following day.  They were both subsequently notified of his death once that was confirmed. 

As for the rest of the crew...Harry Wells, 22, Stan Ashton, 20, and Ron Gannon saw out the war together in Stalag Luft 7.  A local family helped Ernest Couchman to evade captivity and assisted by local resistance fighters, 19 year old Don Grant and 21 year old pilot Bruce Brittain evaded capture.  They met up in Paris on 1st September and returned together to the UK on the 4th September 1944. 

LM117 flew 14 operational missions in total in WW2.  Ted flew 13 operational missions in total, 10 of them in Lancaster LM117.  He and the rest of the crew flew 3 other missions together in 3 different Lancasters...LL949, PB236 and JB290 with JB290 being the only one of the 3 aircraft to survive the war.  The other 2 planes were lost in crashes along with their entire crews. 

Ted is commemorated on the on the 630 Squadron Memorial Honour Board at RAF East Kirkby UK, the International Bomber Command Centre Memorial at Lincoln UK and the Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial at Ballarat VIC Australia. 

Gordon Edwin Beckhouse was awarded for service in WW2 the 1939-1945 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-1945, Australia Service Medal.

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 24th May 2022.

Sources

https://aviationmuseumwa.org.au/afcraaf-roll/shipway-raymond-george-430247/

https://highgate-rsl.org.au/afcraaf-roll/beckhouse-gordon-edwin-424354/

https://630squadron.wordpress.com/2019/03/15/07-1944-july-1944/