LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Lloyd Maxwell BAILEY
Service No: 405710
Born: Pittsworth QLD
Enlisted in the RAAF: 25 May 1941
Unit: 90th Bomber Squadron (USAAF), 3rd Bombardment Group
Died: Air Operations: (13th Bomber Squadron Mitchell aircraft 41-12450), near Lae, New Guinea, 25 May 1942, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Frederic Turner Bailey and Charlotte Ann Bailey, of Southbrook, Queensland
Roll of Honour: Pittsworth QLD
Remembered: Panel 7, Lae Memorial, PNG
Remembered: Panel 134, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Mitchell 41-12450 took off on 25 May 1942 and failed to return to attack Lae. First Lieutenant Hesselbarth, Captain of 41-12450, carried out a bombing attack on Lae aerodrome in formation, and the aircraft was last seen by other aircraft losing altitude in the vicinity of the target area. It was believed that its engines had been put out of commission by enemy anti-aircraft fire. Following post war enquiries and investigations when no trace of the missing aircraft or crew was found it was recorded in 1949 that Sergeant Bailey had no known grave.
The crew members of 41-12450 were:
Sergeant Lloyd Maxwell Bailey (405710) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Corporal Leaburn D Myers (14029318) (USAAF) (Engineer)
Corporal Henry Ray Sheppard (6973526) (USAAF) (Gunner)
First Lieutenant Luther P Smith Jr (O-427778) (USAAF) (Co-Pilot)
First Lieutenant Bennet G Wilson (O-384791) (USAAF) (Pilot)
Technical Sergeant Luther B Word (6973540) (USAAF) (Bombardier)
Sergeant Arthur Ian Friday (408805) (Wireless Air Gunner) was lost in Mitchell 41-12466 on the same bombing mission.
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, 163/90/293
PacificWrecks.com Website