Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Robert William Leo Julius Cannon Fraser and Ellen Fraser, of Sherwood, Queensland

Flying Officer Bryan Fraser was a Navigator and member of the crew of No. 166 Squadron Lancaster Bomber ND628 that was based at Royal Air Force Station Kirmington, Lincolnshire. His aircraft was detailed to bomb its target at Stuttgart, Germany, but it failed to return from this operation. The Air Ministry notified his father who was residing at Lilley Street, Sherwood in Brisbane that he was missing on air operations presumably from enemy action. The aircraft was lost at Mannheim, Rheinsheim, Germany, on 24th/25 July 1944. Subsequently one body from his crew was washed ashore near Mannheim, and buried at Mannheim and two others were recovered and buried by the Germans at Rheinsheim. In 1947, No. 3 Missing Research and Enquiry Unit located the position of the crashed aircraft on the bank of the Rhein, 2 kilometres northwest of Rheinsheim. The Burgermeister of Rheinsheim stated that the bodies of five British airmen were buried. The bodies were exhumed by the Americans and reburied. Exhumations were carried out on 6th May 1947 which enabled three of those bodies to be positively identified however three bodies including that of Flying Officer Bryan Fraser could not be identified and these were buried in a grave registered collectively to the three members at the Rheinsheim Cemetery. In 1948 his remains were finally laid to rest in the Bad Toelz (Durnbach) British Military Cemetery.