The Wellington T2723 took off at 10:41 p.m. on the night of June 25/26, 1942 from Lossiemouth on a mission to attack Bremen, Germany.
In the air the aircraft was damaged by the night fighter pilots Leutnant Hans-Georg Bötel (6./NJG 2) & Oberleutnant Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weissenfeld.
Then they were fired upon by the 5./Marine-Flak-Abteilung 246 Flak battery on West-Terschelling.
They crashed on June 26, 1942 near post 14.8.

The other crew members of the T2723 were:
Sgt William Alan Carruthers R/1063043 RAF (grave 46)
Flt Sgt Robert Cresswell Marchant R/92040 RCAF (grave 48)
Sgt George C Thomson R/91859 RCAF POW Stalag 344
Sgt Norman William Levasseur R/83181 RCAF POW Stalag 8B

In later prisoner of war reports, Sergeant Levasseur stated: "Sergeant Brathwaite was killed as a result of an attack on their aircraft by a German fighter."
Sergeant Thompson stated that he believes Sergeant Brathwaite was killed, but the only information to confirm this was received by him from a German officer while he was in the hospital in Amsterdam.
He also stated that the aircraft was attacked by a night fighter, the intercom was destroyed.
"As Rear Gunner I was cut off from the rest of the crew and the aircraft was set on fire.
With the intercom unusable I can only give information from German authorities."