LEST WE FORGET

Leading Aircraftman Richard Lewis GRAHAM

Service No: 123199
Born: Brisbane QLD, 7 August 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 June 1943
Unit: No. 20 Squadron, Darwin NT
Died: Ground Accident : (No. 20 Squadron Catalina aircraft A24-206), Darwin NT, 20 June 1945, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Adelaide River War Cemetery, NT
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Lewis William Davies Graham and Mona King Graham, of Kelvin Grove, Queensland
Roll of Honour: Chinchilla QLD
Remembered: Panel 101, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Catalina Base Memorial, Rathmines NSW

While in the aircraft lines on 20 June 1945, Depth Charges on Catalina 24-206 detonated destroying the aircraft and killing

Leading Aircraftman Richard Lewis Graham (123199)
Corporal Walter Alexander Strang (131729)

and injuring

Leading Aircraftman Donald William Hamilton (45902) Discharged from the RAAF: 10 June 1948
Leading Aircraftman Wilbur Stirling Lever (116354) Discharged from the RAAF: 2 December 1946
Leading Aircraftman Geoffrey Alan Mill (444360) Discharged from the RAAF: 15 May 1946
Sergeant Donald John Walton (56913) Discharged from the RAAF: 19 March 1946

References:

Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records
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, 166/16/689
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line

Bibliography:

McFarlane, C.C. (Cyrus C.) Tojo’s Fate: Australia’s secret war, Sid Harta Publishers Glen Waverley VIC 3150, 2009
McMillan A. (Andrew) Catalina Dreaming: rescues exciting missions and other stories about the famous Australian flying boats of WWII, Duffy and Snellgrove Potts Point NSW, 2002
Wilson, S. (Stewart) Catalina, Neptune and Orion in Australian Service, Aerospace Publications Weston Creek ACT 2611, 1991

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