Frederick Sydney Carran (1921 - 1944)

Biography

Frederick was born in 1921 at Colby, Arbory, Isle of Man, the son of Herbert Carran, a millwright, and his wife Bertha Kennaugh.

His family (parents and 4 siblings) migrated from the Isle of Man to Australia in 1924 on the "Ormonde", departing the UK on 01 Mar 1924 for Melbourne, Victoria.^[1]

He attended the North Fremantle, Western Australia State School in 1933/34 and the Fremantle Boys School in 1935.

From 1935 to 1939 Frederick worked as a grocery hand and assistant storeman at Boans Ltd. in Perth, Western Australia. He took various jobs on the land in the Western Australia wheat belt in 1939-1940 to gain experience in farming before starting his own poultry farm at Melville, Western Australia before selling it in 1941. He briefly worked as a motor accessories salesman and milk carter before joining the Royal Australian Air Force on 09 Nov 1941 as an Aircraftsman (No.415508). He was 5 ft 8 in tall with fair complexion, fair hair and blue eyes. At the time his father was living in Christchurch, New Zealand.

He was selected for air crew on 09 Nov 1941 and promoted Leading Aircraftsman on 01 Jan 1942. He was remustered as an Air Gunner and promoted Temporary Sgt on 20 Aug 1942. He embarked for the UK from Melbourne on 17 Oct 1942. He was promoted T/ Flight Sgt on 20 Feb 1943 and was transferred to 12 Sqn, RAF.

He was unsuccessful at obtaining a Commission.

On the night of 27/28 Jan 1944 his Lancaster bomber was lost with all but one of the crew killed while on a bombing raid on Berlin. He was presumed to have died on 27 Jan 1944.^[2]

In 1947 his remains were identified. It was determined his aircraft had been shot down by a night fighter and exploded in the air. He had been the mid-upper gunner. The navigator, who was wearing a parachute had been blown out of the aircraft and was the only survivor and was able to confirm his death. The wreckage crashed in woods between Ehren and Windkum near Oldenburg.

Frederick was reinterred in Reinberg Cemetery, Germany in 1947.

Sources

1. ↑ Master S F Carran in the UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 - Source Citation: The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; BT27 Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and Successors: Outwards Passenger Lists; Reference Number: Series BT27-141866; Source Information: Ancestry.com. UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.; Original data: Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and successors: Outwards Passenger Lists. BT27. Records of the Commercial, Companies, Labour, Railways and Statistics Departments. Records of the Board of Trade and of successor and related bodies. The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, England.
2. ↑ Air Casualties (1944, October 13). The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), p. 8 (CITY FINAL). Retrieved December 15, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article78526829

• Royal Australian Air Force Service File - National Archives of Australia - CARRAN FREDERICK SYDNEY : Service Number - 415508 : Date of birth - 25 Aug 1921 : Place of birth - COLBY ISLE OF MAN : Place of enlistment - PERTH WA : Next of Kin - CARRAN HERBERT - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=5538795

• RAAF Incident Investigation File - National Archives of Australia - CARRAN, Frederick Sydney - (Flight Sergeant); Service Number - 415508; File type - Casualty - Repatriation; Aircraft - Lancaster III JB28; Place - Germany; Date - 27 January 1944 - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=1064580

• Roll of Honour - Australian War Memorial - https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1702246

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission - https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2042657/frederick-sydney-carran/

• Frederick Sydney Carran in the UK, World War II Index to Allied Airmen Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 - Name: Frederick Sydney Carran; Rank: Flight Sergeant; Death Age: 22; Birth Year: abt 1922; Death Date: 27 Jan 1944; Military Base: Wickenby, Lincs; Service Number: 415508; Unit: 12 Squadron; Command: Bomber Cmnd; Ship: Lancaster Iii; Occupation: Agent; Casualty: Killed in action; Residence Place: Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand; Burial Place: Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany; Notes: Shot Down By A Night Fighter Near Ehren 4 Miles Southwest of Loningen Outbound on A Raid on Berlin, 1 of the Crew Survived and Was Captured - Source Citation: Naval and Miltiary Press; Uckfield, East Sussex, England; Airmen Died in the Second World War 1939-45; Source Information: Ancestry.com. UK, World War II Index to Allied Airmen Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2021.; Original data: AIRMEN DIED IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-45. East Sussex, England: The Naval and Military Press Ltd.

• Burial/Memorial - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18406092/frederick-sydney-carran