John William Houseman

This story is shared by the Trust with kind permission from Pete Colley, Curator, Wickenby Museum. Additional information from the Aviation Heritage Museum, Bull Creek, Perth. Photo source: Australian War Memorial

Remembering John William Houseman, Flight Sergeant, Royal Australian Air Force, aged 21, son of Leonard Harry Houseman, and of Bertha Houseman, of Potts Point, New South Wales, Australia. He was born in Clovelly, Sydney, New South Wales on 12 September 1922. He worked as  a Cadet Financial Journalist and enlisted on 6th Oct 1942. He embarked from Sydney on 4 November 194343, and disembarked in the UK on 10 December 1943. He was posted to 626 Squadron on 14 July 1944. He was killed one week later, on his 2nd mission, when attacking Courtrai.

The aircraft crashed with one crew member killed, two taken prisoner and the other four evading capture. In later statements from the survivors, it was reported that LM633 was attacked by a JU 88 causing fires in the fuselage and starboard engines. The abandon aircraft order was given and the aircraft crashed at Zietenacy ou Zoetenasie, approximately 8 kms north west of Diksmuide on 21 July 1944. Flying Officer Bowen stated that the Germans had assumed that Flight Sergeant Beattie and Flight Sergeant Houseman were buried under the wreckage and both were listed as dead in German documents. Beattie however evaded capture and was safe. Members of the crew also thought that with the inter communication useless that Flight Sergeant Houseman may have baled out in the confusion.

In 1949 it was recorded that, with the aircraft buried deep in the ground, it was impossible to locate any other remains. John Houseman was listed as having no known grave.