LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant Wesley Victor CHITTOCK

Service No: 408564
Born: Bendigo VIC, 15 June 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 27 April 1941
Unit: No. 51 Squadron (RAF), RAF Snaith, Yorkshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 51 Squadron Halifax aircraft HR787), Germany, 27 April 1943, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur Wesley Lewis Chittock and Alice Victoria Chittock, of Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Bendigo VIC
Remembered: Panel 192, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

Halifax HR787 took off from RAF Snaith at 0026 hours on 27 April 1943 detailed to attack Duisburg, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Following post war enquiries and investigations, it was established from German documents that the aircraft crashed 2 kms east of Kleinen Broich, and all the crew were killed.

The crew members of HR787 were:

Flight Sergeant Clifton MacLeay Brigden (411439) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Wesley Victor Chittock (408564) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Bryant Francis Kingdom Green (406804) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant William Donald Griffith (1237253) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant George Clare Peters (657052) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Richard George Henry Sees (577651) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Norman Thompson (1334603) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant William Holding (1078836) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator)

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, 166/7/83

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