LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Richard Harry ADAMS
Service No: 409012
Born: Brighton VIC, 6 February 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 21 June 1941
Unit: No. 1449 Flight (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 1449 Flight Hurricane aircraft BD729), off the Scilly Isles, 3 October 1943, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Albert Ward Adams and Dorothy Louise Adams, of Brighton, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 192, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Hurricane BD 729 flown by Flight Sergeant Adams took off from the RAF Station Old Town, St
Mary’s, Isle of Scilly, at 0800 hours on 3 October 1943 to carry out an ASR search in an area some 35 miles south of the Scillies. BD 729 was No 2 in Blue Section and accompanied No1 Blue section flown by Warrant Officer Poole (RAF). Both aircraft joined up with an Anson of 276 Sqn and began the search.
Later the 2 Hurricanes were ordered to search an area a little away from the Anson and conduct a parallel search 4 miles apart. At 0900 hours Warrant Officer Poole was told by Base to go to 2,000 feet. At 0904 hours Poole heard Adams say “Can you see those aircraft” and almost immediately Poole saw 8 aircraft about 7 miles away circling at about 100/500 feet. He could not see BD 729 but flew towards the other aircraft to investigate.
When about 5 miles away the other aircraft formed line astern and flew in a south westerly direction. He chased them for a few minutes but could not catch them. He then returned to his previous position and saw a blue patch on the sea. He gave this position by radio and then had to force land himself due to fuel shortage. He could not raise Adams by radio.
A search was organised immediately. The search aircraft sighted an oil patch, fuel tank, and a white cylinder in the position given by Poole. A flying boat landed at the spot and recovered some wreckage from a Hurricane aircraft, and a white cylinder which was from a long range German aircraft. Flight Sergeant Adams, body was not recovered, and in 1949 it was recorded that he had lost his life at sea.
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, 166/3/124