LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Allen Dawe HARRIS
Service No: 407119
Born: Broken Hill NSW, 15 July 1913
Enlisted in the RAAF: 22 June 1940 (at Adelaide SA)
Unit: No. 69 Squadron (RAF), RAF Luqa, Malta
Died: Air Operations (No. 69 Squadron Baltimore aircraft AG715), Central Mediterranean, 15 June 1942, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Alfred Harris, and of Edna Jean Harris, of North Walkerville, South Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 5, Column 2, Malta Memorial, Malta
Remembered: Panel 123, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Baltimore AG715 of No. 69 Squadron took off from RAF Station Luqa at 0650 hours on 15 June 1942 on a sea patrol. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base.
Following post war enquiries and investigations, it was recorded in 1948 that the missing crew had lost their lives at sea.
The crew members of AG715 were:
Flight Sergeant Allen Dawe Harris (407119) (Observer)
Pilot Officer Arthur Hedley Patrick (65571) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Ernest Charles Sanders (1382510) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant William Dennis Warburton (1100943) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator)
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, 163/120/477