LEST WE FORGET

Flying Officer Neville Patrick Peter KEARNEY

Service No: 403055
Born: Casino NSW, 11 August 1911
Enlisted in the RAAF: 9 December 1940
Unit: No. 231 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 24 Squadron (RAF) Hudson aircraft N7253), Wales, 17 July 1942, Aged 30 Years
Buried: Hawarden Cemetery, Flintshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Josephine Kearney; husband of Tui Kearney, of Kingsford, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Randwick NSW
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

Hudson N7253 left Belfast for Hendon on 17 July 1942, and crashed 2.5 miles south east of Ruthven, North Wales. All on board were killed. A Court of Inquiry into the accident found that “the cause was due to a structural failure involving the detachment of the major portion of the port outer main plane following loss of control in low cloud and in general adverse weather. The reason for the loss of control is obscure.”

On board N7253 were:

Mr Edgar Armitage (Home Office) (Passenger)
Flight Lieutenant Brian Stanley Bannister DFC (43089) (RAF) (CCDU) (Passenger)
Sergeant Charles Robert Bell (808379) (RAF (Auxiliary Air Force)) (Wireless Operator)
Flight Sergeant Thomas Derrick Butcher (751687) (RAFVR) (Observer) (No. 24 Squadron)
Mr Coatman* (AM Lands Branch) (Passenger)
Squadron Leader Arthur William Hoggar (31159) (RAF) (HOGC) (Passenger)
Flying Officer Neville Patrick Peter Kearney (403555) (Pilot No. 231 Squadron) (Passenger)
Wing Commander Malcolm Morgan McMullan MID (21092) (RAF) (Headquarters Fighter Command (Passenger)
Flight Lieutenant John Bryan Glostek Rogers (78843) (RAF) (Pilot) (No. 24 Squadron)
Mr Herbert Ernest Smith (NAAFI) (Passenger)
Aircraftman Class I Kenneth Manley Tucker (1234130) (RAFVR) (Fitter II Engines) (No. 24 Squadron)
Major Terence Andrew Alfred Watt (Life Guards, British Army) (General Headquarters Liaison Regiment) (Passenger)
Lieutenant Commander Alfred Noel Waring (RNAS) (Passenger)

* Name not able to be corroborated by CWGC On-Line Records

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 A9300, KEARNEY N P P

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