A Lancaster of No. 463 Squadron RAAF, flying low over the town of St Cyr, France, photographed minutes before it crashed on an operation against an airfield and signals depot, 25 July 1944. The stricken bomber, piloted by RAAF Flying Officer Charles Gundry, is trailing smoke and fire from its starboard inner engine and fuel is being lost from the remaining engines. A later report, possibly from someone in the crew of the aircraft from which this photograph was taken, mentioned seeing five parachutes leave Gundry's plane, and all five aircrew were captured by the Germans. Later investigation also revealed that the bomber had been hit by flak over the target, causing the starboard inner engine to catch fire, and the captain soon ordered the crew to bale out. In June 1945 an officer from the RAF's Missing Research Enquiry Unit discovered that the doomed aircraft came down near the village of Chaussy at 20.10 hrs and, as described by the local Mayor: 'The machine was diving towards the village … but at the last moment the aircraft banked steeply to port and crashed just outside the village'. Did Gundry, realising he was heading down into houses, take this last minute evasive action? Gundry and his wireless operator, RAAF Flight Sergeant John Scheldt, were both killed and were buried in a joint grave close by in Omerville Communal Cemetery. [Scheldt, Vernon John, Jack, Flight Sergeant, Casualty, Lancaster LM589, item 166/37/434, A705, National Archives of Australia; AWM P03127.002]
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