Eric Walter's Story.
Eric Walter Newman was born on 22nd June 1916 to parents Cyril and Annie Newman of Sale in Cheshire. He volunteered for RAF aircrew duties and was selected for pilot training and was appointed to the rank of Leading Aircraftsman and underwent pilot training at 36 Flight Training School in Alberta, Canada between March and July 1942. His postings between 1942 and 1945 are not known but he joined 356 Long Range Bomber Squadron RAF equipped with B24 bombers based at Salbani in Bengal, India in early 1945. He flew on two missions before being killed on his third mission. His first two missions were to bomb railway targets in Pegu, Burma on 29th March 1945 and his second mission was to bomb Kaeng Khoi rail yards in Thailand on 2nd/ 3rd April 1945.Eric’s Final Mission
Eric’s final mission on 18th April 1945 was to bomb canal locks on the Damnoen Saduak canal around 60 miles west of Bangkok. The lock gates connected the canal to tidal waters and due to Allied bombing of rail lines the Japanese had been using canals for transportation purposes. The purpose of the mission was to destroy the locks thus making the canal tidal and useless for transport purposes.
Eight aircraft from 356 Squadron took part in the raid and Eric’s aircraft KH 272 was the only one lost. It is believed that ground fire hit one of the long range fuel tanks mounted in the aircraft’s bomb bay causing the elevator controls to be severed sending the plane into a steep dive into the canal. All 9 crew members were killed. Eric is commemorated on the Singapore war memorial. The mission was a success and the lock gates were destroyed making the canal tidal and disrupting Japanese transport.
Operation Record for Eric's final mission
356 Squadron Liberators with KH272 nearest to the camera
Bomb explodes on Eric's final mission
canal and lockgates prior to attack
Lockgates after the attack
356 Squadron colour scheme. Note RAF roundals in SE Asia did not use the usual red to avoid being mistaken for Japanese aircraft
Singapore Memorial column 446 Eric at bottom right