LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer Murray Herbert CROSSING
Service No: 412405
Born: Mudgee NSW, 28 April 1910
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 July 1941
Unit: No. 177 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations (No. 177 Squadron Beaufighter aircraft JL937), Burma, 10 October 1943, Aged 33 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Herbert Leslie Munner Crossing and Mary Booty Murray Crossing; husband of Yvonne Alison Crossing, of Double Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Quirindi NSW
Remembered: Column 430, Singapore Memorial, Singapore
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Quirindi Town Clock and War Memorial, Quirindi NSW
At 1352 hours on 10 October 1943 Beaufighter JL937 took off in formation with another Beaufighter to make an offensive patrol over the Kalemyo-Yeu road. JL937 was last seen at 1535 hours near Shoegyin at a height of 300 feet and in difficulties after apparently being hit by light anti-aircraft fire.
The crew members of JL937 were:
Warrant Officer Murray Herbert Crossing (412405) (Pilot)
Sergeant Thomas Albert Hall (1575982) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Following post war enquiries and searches, it was reported in 1954 that the aircraft had crashed approximately 2 miles east of Kain Village, on the opposite bank of the Chindwin River from Kalewa, Burma. Village locals indicated the scene of the crash, but the grave site of the crew in a field which had been ploughed several times was not located. The locals stated that one of the crew had been burnt with the plane, and one buried in a very shallow grave on a track used by Japanese motor transport. Although the plane was identified, the remains of the crew were not located after search in the area.
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, 166/8/261
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line