Percival, John Fred

160 Burma Squadron (Api Soya Paragasamu). Pilot Officer Lloyd Colborne, air gunner (RCAF ret.) of Winnipeg, Manitoba had this to say about the trip, "We were told there were Japanese on Andaman Island, Bay of Bengal and the Yanks were going to attack it in combination with the Navy. We were ordered to fly our Liberator aircraft within radar detection or about eighty miles from the island. The Japs would think they were under attack and send up their fighters. We were to turn around as soon as we figured they'd seen us on radar. The real attack would begin hoping to catch the fighters out of fuel. We took off at 1:A.M. with no bombs but a full nine-man crew. I was sitting at the right waist gun and noticed we were airborne faster than usual but thought it was because of our reduced weight. The next thing I knew we'd crashed into the jungle at the end of the runway, Squadron Leader Percival and some other members of the crew were killed but some of us survived, I was the only other Canadian on board.Addendum: The aircraft number was BZ 864. Sgt. R.T. Holbrook (RAF), FS.s F.S. Brissenden (RAM), W.M. Beauchamp (RAAF),F/0.s J.W. Crawford (RAF), and K.B. Winfield (RAF) were also killed. Squadron Leader Percival is buried in the Liveramentu Cemetery, Torrington Road, Colombo, Ceylon. Cenotaph St. Cuthberts Churchyard, Southport, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England Section 2A