LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant William Frederick BRENTON
Service No: 417453
Born: Hawthorn VIC, 28 August 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 23 May 1942 (at Adelaide SA)
Unit: No. 70 Squadron (RAF), Cerignola
Died: Air Operations (No. 70 Squadron Wellington aircraft LN380), Italy, 27 January 1944, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Bari War Cemetery, Carbonara, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Charles Henry and Charlotte Moffat Brenton; husband of Patricia Brenton, of Kensington Park, South Australia.
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 119, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Wellington LN380 took off from Tortorella Landing Ground, Italy, at 1815 hours on 27th January 1944, detailed to carry out an operational flight. It crashed shortly after take off some 5 miles ENE of Foggia, Southern Italy, and all the crew were killed. The aircraft was seen to be on fire after making one circuit of the aerodrome and burning parts seen falling from the fuselage by eye witnesses. The aircraft crashed and later the bombs exploded.
The crew members of LN380 were:
Flight Sergeant Ronald Andre Beal (412883) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant William Frederick Brenton (417453) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Frederick Ronald Clayton (414199) (Navigator Bomb Aimer)
Flight Sergeant John Stanley Hastings Cox (1311063) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Gilbert Thomas Foster (1583331) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Francis Eugene Maher (1395005) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/6/402