LEST WE FORGET

Flying Officer Thomas Hudson CAMBRIDGE

Service No: 410213
Born: Bendigo VIC, 2 July 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 5 December 1941
Unit: No. 261 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 261 Squadron Thunderbolt aircraft KJ232), Myanmar, 21 December 1944, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Taukkyan War Cemetery, Myanmar
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Frank and Annie Letitia Cambridge, of Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Bendigo VIC
Remembered: Panel 119, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

On the 21 December 1944, Thunderbolt KJ232 was one of a No. 261 Squadron formation that carried out a normal dive bombing attack on Gangaw, during which Red 3 had a hang up and was ordered by the Formation Leader to carry out another attack when the Squadron had finished strafing. Flying Officer Cambridge who was flying Red 4, followed Red 3 around and climbed up above him to about 5,000 feet over the target. Red 1 was doing a large orbit to port to enable the Squadron to join up, and as he was reapproaching the target, he saw Cambridge in a steep dive. At the time he took it to be Red 3 doing his second attack. After a moment he saw the aircraft in an almost vertical dive and travelling very fast and realized it was not going to pull out in time. No effort seemed to be made to pull out and the aircraft went straight in, blowing up on impact.  There was known to be a light anti-aircraft post near the target. The position of the crash was 22.10N 094.08E.

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, 166/7/763

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