LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Alfred William Musgrave CHAPMAN
Service No: 402457
Born: Ashfield NSW, 15 January 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 August 1940
Unit: No. 99 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Waterbeach
Died: Air Operations (No. 99 Squadron Wellington aircraft T2879), English Channel, 29 September 1941, Aged 19 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Austin Henly Chapman and Linda Coniston Chapman, of Ashfield, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Ashfield NSW
Remembered: Panel 62, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Leichhardt Memorial, Leichardt NSW
At 1928 hours on 28 September 1941Wellington T2879 took off from Waterbeach to attack Frankfurt, Germany. The ETA at base was 0520 hours on 29 September. Two signals were received from the aircraft both First Class QDMs (magnetic headings) at 0536 and 0545 hours which were acknowledged and indicated the aircraft was on track. At that time it was estimated that the aircraft was over the sea between the French and English coast. Nothing further was heard from the aircraft which failed to return to base. Following post war enquiries and investigations, it was established that three bodies were washed ashore. It was presumed that the remaining three missing crew members had lost their lives at sea.
The crew members of T2839 were:
Pilot Officer William Raymond James Brown (J/4785) (RCAF) (Observer)
Sergeant Alfred William Musgrave Chapman (402457) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant Edward Fieldhouse (1378255) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Hugh McLennan MacDonald (402524) (RNZAF) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant Joseph Stewart Parry (401287) (RNZAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant Ian James Robertson (545441) (RAF) (Second 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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/96/76
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line