LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer George BUSHELL
Service No: 8393
Born: Port Pirie SA, 1 February 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 30 January 1940
Unit: No. 40 Squadron (RAF), Oudna No. 1 Airfield, Tunisia
Died: Air Operations (No. 40 Squadron Wellington aircraft HZ748), off the Italian Coast, 25 November 1943, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Alfred Ernest Leslie and Stella Bushell; husband of Dulcie Mary Bushell, of Norwood, South Australia.
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 11, Column 1, Malta Memorial, Malta
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 HZ748 of No. 40 Squadron failed to return from a raid on Turin, Italy, on the night of 24/25th November, 1943. The weather conditions were adverse and a message was received at 0014 hours stating that the crew were baling out. The aircraft was at this time believed to be near Elmas, Sardinia. No further message was received.
The crew members of HZ748 were:
Pilot Officer George Bushell (8393) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Gordon Chalmers (1132879) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Dennis Lionel Cooper (1331029) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Derek Edward Lang Crosse (1395266) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Pilot Officer Terence James Gosling (159880) (RAF) (Pilot)
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, 166/6/342