LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Dennis De Montfort PARTRIDGE
Service No: 402878
Born: Adelaide SA, 8 August 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 November 1940 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 227 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Limassol
Died: Air Operations: (No. 227 Squadron Beaufighter aircraft T4666), Eastern Mediterranean, 6 September 1942, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John Gilbert and Elinor Aileen Partridge, of Burwood, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 5, Column 1, Malta Memorial, Malta
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At about 1250 hours on 6 September 1942 Beaufighter T4666 took off from Limassol as part of a squadron formation of 12 Beaufighters from No. 227 Squadron and 3 Beaufighters from No. 89 Squadron (RAF). The Beaufighters were escorting 9 Beauforts of No. 39 Squadron (RAF) to attack an enemy convoy of 4 motor vessels and 10 escort vessels, north east of Ducato, Santa Maura, an island off the North West coast of Greece. No messages were received from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. It was assumed that T4666 was shot down by enemy fighters or damaged by heavy anti-aircraft fire that was encountered on the strike. It was later recorded that the crew were missing with no known graves.
The crew members of T4666 were:
Flying Officer Dennis De Montfort Partridge (402878) (Pilot)
Sergeant Anthony William Vivian (08614) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator/Observer)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/51/157