LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer Robert William Francis GALLAGHER
Service No: 416947
Born: Burra SA, 27 February 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 8 November 1941
Unit: No. 83 Squadron (RAF), RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 83 Squadron Lancaster aircraft PB230), Germany, 13 August 1944, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Becklingen War Cemetery, Soltau, Niedersachsen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of George Walter and Ethel Gallagher, of Burra North, South Australia
Roll of Honour: Burra SA
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Lancaster PB230 took off from RAF Coningsby at 2107 hours on the night of 12/13th August 1944, detailed to bomb Braunschweig, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at 0010 hours at Holdenhagen, 12 kms south of Walsrode. Five of the crew members were killed and two became Prisoners of War.
The crew members of PB230 were:
Warrant Officer N P Delayen (1135619) (RAFVR) (Navigator) PoW
Flying Officer Cyril Erritt DFC (179210) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Warrant Officer Robert William Francis Gallagher (416947) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Warrant Officer Peter Augustine Gleeson DFC (179415) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Goronwy Jones (1677036) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Warrant Officer Edwin Alexander Taylor (1290706) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Pilot Officer J McK Williamson (179330) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner) PoW
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, 166/15/300