LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Patrick FIELD
Service No: 400054
Born: Hay NSW, 24 July 1912
Enlisted in the RAAF: 29 April 1940 (at Melbourne VIC)
Unit: No 37 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 37 Squadron Wellington aircraft T2895), off the Egyptian Coast, 23 May 1941, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Dr. Edward Field and Mary Elizabeth Field, of Glenhuntly, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Hay NSW
Remembered: Column 246, Alamein memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Wellington T2895 was detailed to attack Maleme aerodrome at night on 23/24 May 1941. Nothing was heard from the aircraft other than a signal received giving an ETA of 0640 hours on the 24 May.
The crew members of T2895 were:
Sergeant Patrick Field (400054) (Pilot)
Sergeant Ernest Miles Kelsall (631010) (RAF)
Sergeant Peter Godfrey Marsh (759111) (RAFVR)
Sergeant Harold John Mew (758231) (RAFVR)
Sergeant John Rowe (553231) (RAF)
Sergeant Leslie Seymour Tipper (550283) (RAF)
It was later established that bodies of Sergeants Field and Tipper were washed ashore and buried 10 kms west of El Burg in Egypt, the graves being marked by a cross. Sergeant Kelsall was also washed ashore in the vicinity of Damietta and buried. Subsequent searches could not however locate these graves and they were recorded as having no known grave. The three remaining missing crew members were recorded as having lost their lives at sea.
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, 163/112/47