The wireless operator/air gunner, Pilot Officer Colin William Walker from the RAAF, and Warrant Officer John Gartside from the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) were also on the flight.
Operated by RAAF’s No 454 Squadron, Baltimore FW282 was returning from a mission over the Aegean Sea on December 3, 1943, when it was intercepted by German fighter aircraft and sustained heavy damage.
While ditching into the ocean, pilot Flight Lieutenant Horsley was knocked unconscious and awoke as water filled the cockpit.
After swimming to the surface and realizing he was alone, Flight Lieutenant Horsley swam to shore, where he was handed over to German authorities.