LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer Raymond Richard Lindsay HAWKE
Service No: 427090
Born: Midland Junction WA, 2 October 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 20 May 1942
Unit: No. 70 Squadron (RAF), Cerignola, Italy
Died: Air Operations: (No. 70 Squadron Wellington aircraft MF367), Italy, 29 December 1944, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Cassio War Cemetery, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Percival George and Margaret Mary Hawke, of Belmont, Western Australia.
Roll of Honour: Belmont WA
Remembered: Panel 123, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
Remembered: Honour Avenues, Kings Park WA
Wellington MF367 took off from Tortorella landing ground, Italy, on 29th December 1944 to carry out a supply drop mission in Yugoslavia. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed near Campobasso, Italy, and all the crew were killed.
The crew members of Wellington MF367 were:
Sergeant Raymond Leslie Cundy (1808557) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Warrant Officer Raymond Richard Lindsay Hawke (427090) (Pilot)
Sergeant John Andrew Heenan (1583786) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant James Barnard Mulholland (1107757) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Donald Thayre (1803452) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
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, 166/17/929