LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant Harold Arthur John CUMMINGS

Service No: 414006
Born: Bristol, England, 6 October 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 20 July 1941 (at Brisbane QLD)
Unit: No. 150 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 150 Squadron Wellington aircraft HE603), Sicily, 15 May 1943, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Catania War Cemetery, Sicily, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Albert John and Amy Constance Cummings, of Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Ravenshoe QLD
Remembered: Panel 121, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

Wellington HE603 took off at 1835 hours on the night of 15/16th May 1943, and was one of eight aircraft from the Squadron detailed to attack Trapani, Sicily. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. Later it was learned that all the crew members had been killed.

The crew members of HE603 were:

Sergeant Thomas Edward Baxter (975888) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Harold Arthur John Cummings (414006) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Kenneth Arthur Haynes (1548025) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Lewis Wyndham Jones (1281502) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant George Frederick Parris (1336970) (RAFVR) (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, 166/8/117

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