Robert Phillip Henry's Story.
Robert Brown was born in Canbelego, NSW, Australia on 11th March 1913 but was living in Manly, NSW and working as a spray painter at the time of his enlistment in the RAAF. He enlisted at Sydney on 12th September 1941. Prior to enlistment he served with the militia from 1939 until 1941. He completed his initial pilot training in Australia before sailing to UK on 12th December 1942 arriving on 8th February 1943. After completing advanced training he was posted to 81 OTU at RAF Tilstock on 28th January 1944 where he trained in Alblemarle transport aircraft in preparation for the D Day landings. On 15th April 1944 he was directed to carry out flying and landing circuits for 3.5 hours in Albemarle V1609 but after taking off at 3pm for his final circuit he disobeyed orders and decided to fly to Hartford in Cheshire to overfly the house of the Wireless Operator Aubrey Crowe. According to eyewitnesses the plane flew two low passes over the town then as it came over the village for the third time even lower than the first two passes the wing clipped the chimney of one of the houses and crashed killing 4 of the 5 crew including Robert and Aubrey Crowe. Alexander Ewen, the air gunner, was thrown clear in his turret and was helped to safety by two passing American serviceman. The plane crashed 200 yards from Crowe’s house where his wife was staying.
The crew of V1609 with Brown front row centre and Crowe on his right. Only Ewen in back row left side survived the crash
Accident Report 1
Accident Report 2
Accident Report 3
Brown is commemorated on the Manly War Memorial NSW
A memorial was erected in Hartford in 2015 on the wall that the plane crashed into
Albemarle in flight