LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Keith Herbert FREEMAN
Service No: 417472
Born: North Adelaide SA, 18 January 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 23 May 1942
Unit: No. 10 Squadron (RAF), RAF Melbourne, Yorkshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 10 Squadron Halifax aircraft LV912), Germany, 21 July 1944, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Alfred George Maxfield Freeman and Florence Ivy Freeman, of Malvern, South Australia
Roll of Honour: Unley SA
Remembered: Panel 99, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Remembered: Rathmines Memorial Bowling Club, Rathmines NSW
Flying Officer Freeman’s name appears to have been incorrectly added to the Rathmines Memorial that remembers RAAF members lost on Maritime Units as he served with No. 10 Squadron RAF and not with No. 10 Squadron RAAF.
On the 21st July 1944, Halifax LV912 crashed at Schoeppingen, Germany. Seven of the crew members were killed and one became a Prisoner of War.
The crew members of LV 912 were:
Pilot Officer Paul Herman Brittain (J/88488) (RCAF) (Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Maurice Flanagan (179006) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer Keith Herbert Freeman (417472) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant A Grant (1105073) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner) PoW
Flying Officer Neville Hadley (177379) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Peter James Mosley-Leigh (1803621) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer Trevor Rich 9147664) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant William Richard Tomlinson (44438) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/14/239
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line