LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Eliot Ralph BARNFATHER
Service No: 400393
Born: Geelong VIC, 27 January 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 20 August 1940
Unit: No. 218 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Marham
Died: Air Operations: (No. 218 Squadron Stirling aircraft N6071), Denmark, 18 May 1942, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Esbjerg (Fourfelt) Cemetery, Denmark
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Thomas Stanley Barnfather and Ruby Alice Barnfather, of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Barrister and Solicitor
Roll of Honour: Geelong VIC
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2316 hours on the night of 17 May 1942 Stirling N6071 took off from Marham detailed to carry out a gardening (mine-laying) operation. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and abandoned at 0100 hours on the 18 May 1942. Six of the crew members became Prisoners of War and one was killed. Three members of the crew were hit by shrapnel as they descended and Flying Officer Barnfather died after being struck in the stomach.
The crew members of N6071 were:
Flying Officer Eliot Ralph Barnfather (400393) (Observer)
Sergeant R I Hill (402059) (RNZAF) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Flight Lieutenant A G L Humphries DFC (36241) (RAF) (Pilot) PoW
Sergeant W A Lawrence (611762) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant R Layfield (550796) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant J N T Taylor (568172) (RAF) (Navigator) PoW
Sergeant G Toynbee-Clarke (971165) (RAF) (Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant Hill later reported: “I was informed by the Germans that Barnfarther was found dead in a field, but he was unable to say whether his death was due to his wounds due to the failure of his chute or an over delayed jump owing to the late height at which he baled out.”
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, 163/23/127