LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Neville Charles HOLDAWAY
Service No: 403189
Born: Haberfield NSW, 20 November 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 December 1940
Unit: No. 150 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Snaith
Died: Air Operations: (No. 150 Squadron Wellington aircraft BJ831), Belgium, 25 August 1942, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Kersbeek-Miskom Churchyard, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Charles Edwin and Lena Millie Holdaway, of Darling Point, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Eastwood NSW
Remembered: Panel 124, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Eastwood War Memorial, Eastwood NSW
Wellington BJ831 took off at 2301 hours on the night of 24/25 August 1942, detailed to bomb attack Frankfurt, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. It was later learned that three crew members had been killed and two taken Prisoner of War.
The crew members of BJ831 were:
Sergeant B H Glasse (77859) (RAFVR) PoW
Sergeant Neville Charles Holdaway (403189) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Leslie Stewart Magenis (1269063) (RAFVR) PoW, Died: 3 March 1945
Flight Sergeant Harry Malfroy Thompson (402912) (RNZAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant Kenneth Lash Matthews (778843) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
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, 163/123/317
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line