LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Roderick MacMillan HARPER
Service No: 402442
Born: Mosman NSW, 18 May 1913
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 August 1940
Unit: No. 148 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 148 Squadron Wellington aircraft DV873), Sicily, 23 April 1942, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Catania War Cemetery, Sicily
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Archibald McLean Harper and Pleasant Harper, of Lindfield, New South Wales, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Lindfield NSW
Remembered: Panel 123, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: University of Sydney World War 2 Roll of Honour, Camperdown NSW
On the night of 23 April 1942 Wellington DV873 was detailed to attack an enemy aerodrome at Comiso, Sicily. DV873 was shot down on reaching the target and the six crew members were killed.
The crew members of DV873 were:
Flying Officer Roderick MacMillan Harper (402442) (Pilot)
Sergeant Thomas Pellew Hosking (926519) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant George Henry King (933276) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant Raymond Tucker Perrin (1167487) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Herbert Charles Powell (1378440) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Eric Frederick Wear (999231) (RAFVR) (Observer)
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, 1633/35/80
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line