LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Arthur James GRABHAM
Service No: 401308
Born: Korumburra VIC, 10 June 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 1 February 1941
Unit: No. 420 (Snowy Owl) Squadron (RCAF), RAF Station Waddington, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 420 Squadron Hampden aircraft 136), North Sea, 8 June 1942, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Christopher and Helen Mary Grabham, of Kongwak, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Korumburra VIC
Remembered: Panel 112, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 133, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2238 hours on 8 June 1942 Hampden 136 took off from Waddington to attack Essen, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Following post war enquiries and investigations when no trace of the missing aircraft or crew could be found, it was recorded in 1950 that the missing crew had no known grave.
The crew members of Hampden 136 were:
Sergeant Cecil James Bunn (1175562) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator)
Sergeant Herbert Redvers Copeland (R/65A) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Arthur James Grabham (401308) (Observer)
Sergeant Ian MacLaren Reid (R/86620) (RCAF) (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, 166/118/362
Bibliography:
Lang, Noella The Rest of My Life with No. 50 Squadron: from the diaries and letters of Flying Officer P W Rowling, Access Press, Northbridge WA 6000, 1997