Howard, Cecil Lancelot (Lance)

Operation Chastise (Dambusters Raid)

Date of birth:: January 12th, 1913 (Freemantle/Western Australia, Australia)
Date of death:: December 26th, 1989 (Perth/Western Australia, Australia)
Nationality:: Australian

Biography

Cecil Lancelot “Lance” Howard, born in Fremantle, Australia, on January 12, 1913, worked as a commercial traveller before joining the RAAF in 1940.

Initially selected for pilot training, he later qualified as a navigator, arriving in the UK in late 1941 and joining 49 Squadron in May 1942. By March 1943, he had completed 25 operations.

Commissioned after joining 617 Squadron, Howard took part in the Dams Raid, overcoming concerns about the bumpy takeoff. As the only officer in AJ-O’s crew, he was awarded the DFC.

His final wartime missions were Italian raids in July 1943. Declared “tour expired” in September, he became an instructor before being discharged in March 1945, returning to Australia to reunite with his wife, Marjorie.

Post-war, Howard worked in the Repatriation Department and the West Australian newspaper. Ill-health led to his early retirement in 1972, but he remained active in the RAAF Association, notably refusing an MBE, believing it insufficient recognition for the group’s work. He also helped establish the Air Force Memorial Estate in Bull Creek, providing housing for ex-servicemen near Australia’s largest aviation museum.

Howard lived there with his wife until his death on December 26, 1989. He is commemorated at Karrakatta Cemetery.

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