LEST WE FORGET

Flying Officer Gordon William DUGGAN

Service No: 418362
Born: Benalla VIC, 25 October 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 22 may 1942
Unit: No. 83 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Coningsby
Died: Air Operations: (No. 83 Squadron Lancaster aircraft PB134), off the Norwegian Coast, 1 January 1945, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Frank and Emily Maud Duggan, of Stewarton, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Benalla VIC
Remembered: Panel 257, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 121, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

At 1956 hours on 31 December 1944 Lancaster PB134 took off from Coningsby detailed to attack warships at Horten in the Oslo Fiord. Nothing further was heard from the aircraft which was possibly shot down by flak or enemy fighters. The body of Flight Sergeant Maynard was washed ashore at Rostad Krogstan, Oslo Fiord but there was no other information about the remainder of the crew and it was concluded that they had lost their lives at sea.

The crew members of PB134 were:

Flight Sergeant Samuel Brockbank (1543556) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer Gordon William Duggan (418362) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant George Jabez Arthur Groom (1284873) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Henry Jones (2218793) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Ronald Kear (1314473) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator/Air)
Flight Sergeant Herbert Thomas Little (1893906) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Sidney James Samuel Maynard (1801363) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Warrant Officer Francis John Poole DFM (655599) (RAF) (Navigator Bomb Aimer)

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, 166/10/375

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