LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Vincent COLLINS
Service No: 413348
Born: Greta NSW, 8 October 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 17 August 1941
Unit: No. 150 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations (No. 150 Squadron Wellington aircraft HE814), Italy, 29 November 1943, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Beach Head War Cemetery, Anzio, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James George and Mary Rose Collins, of Stockton, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Wellington HE814 took off at 1653 hours on the night of 28/29th November 1943 one of a number of aircraft from the Squadron, detailed to bomb the aerodrome at Ciampino, Italy. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. Other crews returning from the mission stated they saw one aircraft shot down over Ciampino. All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of HE814 were:
Flight Sergeant Leonard Percival Barber (409647) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Vincent Collins (413348) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Leonard Lloyd Richards (1515483) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Charles William Dighton Watts (1320931) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Leslie Webb (1384842) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
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, 166/8/312