The reason for these threads is to have the official cause of death for these flyers if known, the number of the aircraft and to supply all detail and crew listings if available. First one, so here goes - CREW LIST - BEALE, HERBERT ELDON / Pilot Officer / 403021 / 179sq / 21/01/1943 / Royal Australian Air Force GORDON-GLASSFORD, TERENCE HARRY (Flying Officer); Service Number – RAAF 402658 / 612 Squadron (WW2ROLL) - Mentioned in Despatches Son of Torre Harry and Doris Gordon-Glassford, of Darling Point, New South Wales, Australia. International Oarsman. MALTA MEMORIAL HUSTLER J S (John Saynor) – (Pilot Officer); Service Number – 121471 (FLGOFF 121472 RAFVR – 179SQN) MID MALTA MEMORIAL HARVEY G E (GEORGE EDWARD) – (Sergeant); Service Number – 1377534 (PLTOFF 144013 RAFVR – 179SQN) MALTA MEMORIAL BROWN J H (JOHN HENRY) – (Sergeant); Service Number – 117562 (1107562 RAFVR – 179SQN) MALTA MEMORIAL CARMICHAEL P W – (Pilot Officer); Service Number – J9641 (RCAF - CARMICHAEL, BRIAN WITHERS) MALTA MEMORIAL I can only surmise from the fact that Beale was buried in Algeria, while the rest of the crew are commemerated on the Malta Memorial, that only one body was ever recovered. This is backed up by the slight difference in the titles of the two RAAF casualty files: Casualty – Repatriation - Wellington HX 690; Place - Sea off Algeria; Date - 21 January 1943 (Beale) Casualty – Repatriation - Wellington V111 HX 690; Place - Gibraltar area; Date - 21 January 1943 (GG) Air Ministry, 2nd June, 1943. The KING has been graciously pleased to give orders for the publication of the names of the following personnel who have been mentioned in despatches by Air Officers Commanding-in-Chief: Royal Australian Air Force – T. H. GORDON-GLASSFORD (Aus. 402658) (since missing). J. S. (John Saynor) HUSTLER (121472 - formerly 1053150 prior to commissioning), R.A.F.V.R. (since missing) (When I spot a typo, such as more than one service number, I include everything in the text until the error is eliminated – new service numbers are allocated for various reasons so both numbers may be correct)
255sqn - weston, ronald victor WESTON, RONALD VICTOR Flying Officer 119195 255sq RAF 6/01/1943 age 28 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve UK Coll. grave VIII. G. 1-13. BONE WAR CEMETERY, ANNABA Son of George and Elsie Maxwell Weston, of West Leederville, Western Australia At first I thought this one was out of place, until I realised he was born in Australia and joined the RAF. He enlisted as an airman and was commissioned from the rank of LAC. ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE. GENERAL DUTIES BRANCH. To be Pit. Offs. on prob. (emergency): — Ldg. Acm. 17th Jan. 1942. 1400292 Ronald Victor WESTON (119195). Pit. Offs. (prob.) to be Fig. Offs. on prob. (war subs), 1st Oct. 1942: —R. V. WESTON (119195). Oddly enough the Australian archives have a file for FLGOFF Weston even though he wasn't in the Australian military (and they think he was a Sergeant): Aircraft - Beaufighter 6V 8547; Place - Bone, Algeria; Date - 6 January 1943 OTHER CREW - HILES C R (CHARLES REGINALD) – (Pilot Officer); Service Number – RAF 116704 I can't find a great deal else beyond - "255SQN converted to Beaufighters in 1941 and the squadron was deployed to North Africa in November 1942. During the Tunisian campaign it provided night defence for Allied bases in Algeria, and in August 1943 moved to Sicily."
Thanks Dave, I have 202 Australians who died while in the RAF and therefore listed as UK on the CWGC website. They are therefore not listed on the Australian Roll of Honour however they are likely to be on the Commemorative roll. You are unable to search this database by placing an "A" then see what comes up. You have to enter a name which is bloody frustrating. I spoke to them in Canberra and the answer was that when I am in Canberra next I can read the roll at the AWM...................Smart A**E Thanks for the info. Did you know that Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham was born in Australia as well?
I have (10) lads at Bone Cemetery. This group of (4) Aussies of 458sq who were killed on the 27/11/1943. FREEMAN, REGINALD THOMAS ARTHUR Flight Sergeant 415777 458sq 27/11/1943 MUSCHIALLI, LOUIS JAMES Flight Sergeant 410909 458sq 27/11/1943 REID, GORDON KEITH Flight Sergeant 422702 458sq 27/11/1943 RICHARDS, JACK Flight Sergeant 409851 458sq 27/11/1943
Hi Dave, the reason for 2 service numbers - 1 given on enlistment as an AC and on commissioning, a new service number was given. If a direct commission, then they would have only 1 service number.
Aussies of 458sqn who were killed on the 27/11/1943 Struth Spidge - one thing at a time - I'm working my way through the Algeria list and this is what I've got so far on this group: Aircraft - Wellington III JA142 Place - Algeria, Middle East / Date - 27 November 1943 Air ops - Cape Bougaroun (spelt as Bougalun on one document) FULL CREW LIST – MUSCHIALLI, Louis James - (Flight Sergeant); Service Number - 410909 RICHARDS J – (Flight Sergeant); Service Number – 409851 FREEMAN R T A – (Flight Sergeant); Service Number – 415777 REID G K – (Flight Sergeant); Service Number – 422702 BUNGIER M V – (Sergeant); Service Number – 1133860 RAF (Thanks to the fantastic "Geoff's search engine" I managed to do a search by service number and uncover this RAF airman's correct details - he was MAURICE VICTOR AUNGIER, it is mis-spelt on all RAAF file notes) AIKMAN, ANDREW – (Warrant Officer); Service Number – R93115 RCAF
INGRAM, IAN ROSS / Flying Officer / 403343 / 225sq / 29/11/1942 INGRAM, IAN ROSS / Flying Officer / 403343 / 225sq / 29/11/1942 - BONE WAR CEMETERY, ANNABA ALGERIA File type - Casualty - Repatriation; Aircraft - Hurricane 11E HL887; Place - Tabarka, Tunisia; Date - 27 November 1942 “A hard working officer with no lack of offensive spirit. He is reliable and with more experience will be an asset in any flying unit” One source has 225 Squadron flying on photo-reconnaissance duties in Tunisia. Another source has the squadron flying combat support using 40mm cannon equipped aircraft. An informal photograph of 403343 Pilot Officer (later Flying Officer [FO]) Ian Ross Ingram, RAAF who graduated from No. 2 Service Flying Training School at Uplands, Ontario, Canada on 1 September 1941. FO Ingram was lost on operations over North Africa on 29 November, 1942 while serving with RAF 225 Squadron. He is buried in the Bone War Cemetery, Annaba, Algeria.
Algeria - sandilands / wren / strang - full crew list File type - Casualty - Repatriation; Aircraft - Wellington AD635; Place - Near Kef Cam Tebou, near Tunisian Border; Date - 16 February 1942 In transit to Middle East - ALAN LESLIE Sergeant (STRANG, Alan Leslie - (Sergeant); Service Number – 400311) 400311 21 OTU 17/02/1942 22 Royal Australian Air Force III. D. 13. BONE WAR CEMETERY, ANNABA WREN, WALTER ROBERT / Sergeant / 402433 / 15 OTU / 16/02/1942 SANDILANDS, JOHN DOUGLAS / Sergeant / 402613 / 15 OTU / 16/02/1942 (Son of James Bruce and Aline McLeod Sandilands, of Uralla, New South Wales, Australia. He had two brothers: Flight Lieutenant JAMES WALTER SANDILANDS 402405 RAAF - KIA 13/04/1944 - CHITTAGONG WAR CEMETERY & Flying Officer GEOFFREY BRUCE HOPE SANDILANDS 421085 RAAF – KIA 16/10/1944 - CHESTER (BLACON) CEMETERY) FULL CREW LIST: SANDILANDS, John Douglas - (Sergeant); Service Number – 402613 WREN, Walter R - (Sergeant); Service Number – 402433 / Australia STRANG, Alan Leslie - (Sergeant); Service Number – 400311 / Australia O’BRIEN, ALLAN - (Pilot Officer); Service Number – 404564 / New Zealand STEHR, WALTER BRIAN - (Sergeant); Service Number – 4199 / New Zealand FOOTE, CLIFFORD JAMES - (Sergeant); Service Number – 656751 / RAF
GORDON-GLASSFORD TERENCE HARRY (Flying Officer) Service Number 402658 I just found a couple of photos in the AWM online photo collection for this bloke: SYDNEY, NSW, 1940. STUDIO PORTRAIT OF 402658 FLYING OFFICER (FO) TERENCE HARRY ("TERRY") GORDON-GLASSFORD, RAAF. CREMORNE, NSW, 1940-12-10. 402658 FLYING OFFICER (F0) TERENCE HARRY ("TERRY") GORDON-GLASSFORD, RAAF, STANDING IN THE YARD OF HIS MOTHER'S HOME, "WYMSTON", MILSON ROAD, CREMORNE, ON THE DAY OF HIS DEPARTURE BY SHIP FOR OVERSEAS SERVICE. FO GORDON-GLASSFORD WAS KILLED IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AREA ON 1943-01-21, WHILE ON ACTIVE SERVICE WITH NO. 179 SQUADRON, RAF COASTAL COMMAND.
Hi Dave, These are the other cemeteries (deaths) in Algeria that you noticed were omitted. BARNETT, MILTON HOWITT Sergeant 411240 150sq 27/01/1943 30 Royal Australian Air Force Australian Coll. grave 3. K. 8. DELY IBRAHIM WAR CEMETERY Algeria GILPIN, JOHN ALEXANDER Sergeant 408837 50sq 27/01/1943 20 Royal Australian Air Force Australian Coll. grave 3. K. 8. DELY IBRAHIM WAR CEMETERY Algeria WILSON, ALFRED GEORGE Flight Sergeant 426195 36sq MACAF 4/03/1944 27 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 4. C. 9. DELY IBRAHIM WAR CEMETERY Algeria ===================================================================== BEITZ, CECIL FRANCIS Flight Sergeant 6951 608sq 26/06/1943 29 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. F. 33. EL ALIA CEMETERY BROWN, EDWIN HANLON (DFC) Flying Officer 402724 18sq (Netherlands East Indies) 5/05/1943 25 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. H. 12. EL ALIA CEMETERY DEIGNAN, ERIC ALAN MERVYN Flight Sergeant 404480 500sq 26/04/1943 26 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. H. 31. EL ALIA CEMETERY DETTMANN, RONALD ALEXANDER KENNETH Flight Sergeant 412409 608sq 26/06/1943 24 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. F. 34. EL ALIA CEMETERY GORDON, NOEL LESLIE Flight Sergeant 408839 52 O T U 6/04/1943 26 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. J. 12. EL ALIA CEMETERY PHILLIPS, GORDON ALEXANDER Pilot Officer 404988 500sq 26/04/1943 28 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. H. 32. EL ALIA CEMETERY PRICE, KEITH ALEXANDER Sergeant 413659 150sq 30/04/1943 20 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. H. 28. EL ALIA CEMETERY SCOTTON, JOHN NORMAN Flying Officer 405559 36sq RAF 5/09/1943 29 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. D. 18. EL ALIA CEMETERY WECKER, ALVAN RODNEY Flying Officer 404676 608sq 5/04/1943 23 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. J. 16. EL ALIA CEMETERY ====================================================================== BROWN, JOHN MAXWELL Flight Sergeant 416321 HQ RAF ME 24/05/1943 21 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 1. B. 4. LA REUNION WAR CEMETERY TAYLOR, ROY MELDRUM Sergeant 403825 4 PRU 31/12/1942 20 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 2. F. 6. LA REUNION WAR CEMETERY ====================================================================== JONES, ARTHUR SELWYN Flying Officer 409152 3sq 5/02/1943 27 Royal Australian Air Force Australian Plot E. Row A. Grave 31. LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY LINDSAY, LOGAN KENYON Flying Officer 401977 500sq 2/08/1943 26 Royal Australian Air Force Australian Plot E. Row E. Grave 12. LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY PULLAR, JOHN SUTHERLAND Flying Officer 401664 36sq 2/11/1943 26 Royal Australian Air Force Australian Plot E. Row D. Grave 30. LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY SHIELDS, IVAN HARLEY Flight Sergeant 405885 500sq 2/08/1943 21 Royal Australian Air Force Australian Plot E. Row E. Grave 11. LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY WHITE, WESLEY JOHN Flying Officer 401558 3 ADU 3/06/1944 28 Royal Australian Air Force Australian Plot E. Row D. Grave 12. LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY
Aircraft - Wellington DF 568 (150SQN); Place - Blida, United Kingdom; Date - 27 January 1943 BARNETT, MILTON HOWITT Sergeant 411240 150sq 27/01/1943 30 Royal Australian Air Force Australian Coll. grave 3. K. 8. DELY IBRAHIM WAR CEMETERY Algeria GILPIN, JOHN ALEXANDER Sergeant 408837 150sq 27/01/1943 20 Royal Australian Air Force Australian Coll. grave 3. K. 8. DELY IBRAHIM WAR CEMETERY Algeria No files for either member have been digitized. Eight personnel on board, might have been a transit flight. Other crew, all KIA: GIBSON, JOHN (Sergeant) RAF 1345888 IRONMONGER, GEORGE HENRY (Leading Aircraftman) RAF 957108 BILL, LEONARD (Sergeant) 1212297 RAF BRYSON, ROBERT HARDIE (Leading Aircraftman) 1345544 RAF MELVILLE, WILLIAM (Leading Aircraftman) 1344238 RAF MANN, DENNIS (Aircraftman I) 1250113 RAF I don’t know why they were buried in Algeria if they crashed in the UK. What are the odds on a town in the UK called Blida? Seriously though, the loading of file names was done by staff who just took what they read at face value – if they saw a message from the UK mentioning somewhere called Blida, that is what they typed up.
Aircraft - Wellington MK XIV HF296; Place - Algeria; Date - 4 March 1944 WILSON, ALFRED GEORGE Flight Sergeant 426195 36sq MACAF 4/03/1944 27 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 4. C. 9. DELY IBRAHIM WAR CEMETERY Algeria Only Australian on board – his files have not been digitized. Other crew, all KIA: STANNARD, ERIC RAYMOND (Flying Officer) 122246 RAF QUINLAN, JOHN MICHAEL (Pilot Officer (Pilot) J/85433) (Flight Sergeant R14698) RCAF KIRK, GEORGE KENNETH (Flight Sergeant) 1174509 RAF DAVY, CHARLES FREDERICK (Sergeant) 1289025 RAF SHOOLBREAD, JAMES (Sergeant) 1116919 RAF
Aircraft - Hudson FE 535; Place - La Chiffa, Algeria; Date - 26 June 1943 DETTMANN, RONALD ALEXANDER KENNETH Flight Sergeant 412409 608sq 26/06/1943 24 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. F. 34. EL ALIA CEMETERY BEITZ, CECIL FRANCIS Flight Sergeant 6951 608sq 26/06/1943 29 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. F. 33. EL ALIA CEMETERY Crash file for Beitz has been digitized. “Aircraft spun after engine failure, made partial recovery and dived in”. Other crew, all KIA: DRYSDALE, ALAN(Flying Officer) J/11030 RCAF GULBRAA, HAROLD (Flying Officer) J/12294 (on CWGC as J112294) RCAF
Aircraft - Spitfire IV AA803; Place - Algiers, Algeria; Date - 6 May 1943 (on gazette as being with 682SQN – which I think makes more sense than 18 NEI SQN) BROWN, EDWIN HANLON (DFC) Flying Officer 402724 18sq (Netherlands East Indies) 5/05/1943 25 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. H. 12. EL ALIA CEMETERY Personnel file digitized – DFC citation on file reads “FLGOFF Brown has completed sixty-two sorties and has invariably displayed great skill and determination. This was amply demonstrated one day in April, 1943, when he successfully accomplished a reconnaissance flight over Naples and the adjacent area in the face of heavy and accurate fire from ground defences. This officer’s keenness and devotion to duty have been worthy of high praise” (London gazette has this wording too)
Aircraft - Hudson AM 564; Place - Cape Tenes, Algeria; Date - 26 April 1943 PHILLIPS, GORDON ALEXANDER Pilot Officer 404988 500sq 26/04/1943 28 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. H. 32. EL ALIA CEMETERY DEIGNAN, ERIC ALAN MERVYN Flight Sergeant 404480 500sq 26/04/1943 26 Royal Australian Air Force Australian 12. H. 31. EL ALIA CEMETERY No files for either member have been digitized. Other crew, KIA: LISTER, DONALD SYDNEY (Flight Sergeant) RAAF 411634 – body not recovered. Pers file digitized, no crash file held by NAA. CWGC – on Malta Memorial SWIFT, WILLIAM FREDERICK (Sergeant) RAF 1029852 – buried in EL ALIA CEMETERY
