LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant Leonard Percival BARBER

Service No: 409647
Born: Wail VIC, 21 March 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 10 October 1941
Unit: No. 150 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 150 Squadron Wellington aircraft HE814), Italy, 29 November 1943, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Beach Head War Cemetery, Anzio, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Percival Robins Barber and Lena Berthel Vine Barber, of Wail, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Dimboola VIC
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

Wellington HE814 took off at 1653 hours on the night of 28/29th November 1943 one of a number of aircraft from the Squadron, detailed to bomb the aerodrome at Ciampino, Italy. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. Other crews returning from the mission stated they saw one aircraft shot down over Ciampino. All the crew members were killed.

The crew members of HE814 were:

Flight Sergeant Leonard Percival Barber (409647) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Vincent Collins (413348) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Leonard Lloyd Richards (1515483) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Charles William Dighton Watts (1320931) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Leslie Webb (1384842) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)

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, 166/5/363

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