LEST WE FORGET
Group Captain Leonard John CROSBIE
From Australia serving in the Royal Air Force
Service No: 29064 (RAF)
Born: Date, Location unavailable
Enlisted in the RAF: Date unavailable
Unit: Air Command, South East Asia
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 353 Squadron (RAF) Dakota aircraft KG479), off the Burma Coast, 22 June 1946, Age unavailable
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: No further information
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Column 459, Singapore Memorial, Singapore
Remembered: Commemorative Roll, Australian War Memorial, Canberra
Group Captain Crosbie’s appointment was General Duties Signals Plans in the Signals Office of Air Command South East Asia.
Group Captain Crosbie was aboard a No. 353 Squadron (RAF) Expeditor aircraft (Dakota KG479) which took off from Mergui, Burma on a ferry flight through to Germany on 22 June 1946. The aircraft was last seen entering cloud off the Burma coast between Tavoy and Mergui, but if failed to reach its destination. When the aircraft was reported missing search patrols interrogated a Headsman of a Burma village who informed the patrol that the aircraft had crashed into the sea about 8 miles from the shore. The Headsman produced a damaged log book (Stuart). A later patrol between Tavoy and Mergui found a valise which had been washed ashore with the name ‘Allard’ marked on it. The villager stated to this patrol that the aircraft was seen flying low, it exploded and fell into the sea.
The crew members of KG479 were:
Flying Officer William Stanley Allard (186359) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Group Captain Leonard John Crosbie 29064 (RAF) (Pilot, Supernumerary)
Flying Officer Donald Ian Paul Stuart (201103) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
References:
Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll On-Line Records
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/8/1406
The Casualty file records the following:
Wife: Mrs A L Crosbie, C/- H R Long, Esq, College Farm, West of Colville, Cambridgeshire. UK.
Father: Mr William Robert Crosbie, Morrison Road, Midland Junction, WA Died 21 August 1948)
Brother in Law: Mr N Millar, 21 Hanna St, South Melbourne, VIC