Last seen by ship at position 284° 135 miles Freetown from wence it was flying in a North Easterly direction. Commemorated on the Malta Memorial
L5805, detailed to escort a ship to Freetown Sierra Leone on 11 June 1942. The aircraft was last seen circling the ship on a bearing of 284° approximately 135 miles from Freetown in the early hours of 11 June, after which it proceeded in a north easterly direction. At 1400 hours a possible white light was sighted at a low height, but no sound of engines was heard. During the next three days extensive air and sea searches were carried out, but no trace of the aircraft or crew were found. It was presumed that the aircraft forced landed at sea during the night patrol and that the crew members were lost at sea.
AIR-27-763_1 (page 43)
ORBS: "Nothing sighted but oil patches, apparently recent, observed in JKCR 2430. On 12th June, a square search of 12 miles radius and parallel track search was carried out. Nothing sighted.
Sunderlands D/95 and E/95 received signal to look out for B/95 and searched position given. E/95: Nothing sighted but oil patches, apparently recent observed in JKCR 2430, 13 mile radius search - nothing sighted. Search continued 10th and 11th June."
AIR-27-763_1 (page 43) 11th-14th June 1942
Crew Members
P/O J Pybus
F/O J M Henderson
F/O R W Lawrence
P/O D J Whalley
Sgt V Cromer
Sgt J E Burley
Sgt R G Greenman
LAC J M McNeill
AC1 H K McCombie
Malta Memorial
Lost Crews
Auckland War Memorial
F/O JACK PYBUS
Royal New Zealand Air Force,
95 Squadron,
11 June 1942, Aged 28
