LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Peter John KEAY
Service No: 15302
Born: Lane Cove NSW, 6 February 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 20 May 1940
Unit: No. 61 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Syerston
Died: Air Operations: (No. 61 Squadron Lancaster aircraft W4317), Belgium, 17 April 1943, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Chivres Communal Cemetery, Chivres (Hainuat), Belgium
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John Arthur and Nancy Hilder Keay, of Rocky Glen, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Coonabarabran NSW
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Coonabarabran Memorial Swimming Pool, Coonabarabran NSW
At 2113 hours on the night of 16 April 1943 Lancaster W4317 took off from Syerston detailed to bomb Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. A later report by a Missing Research and Enquiry team stated “the aircraft was shot down and crashed at Givry (Hainaut), approximately 8 miles south east of Mons, Belgium.” All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of W4317 were:
Sergeant Edward Reginald Davidson (1338539) (RAFVR) (Second Navigator) (Member of 1654 Conversion Unit)
Flight Sergeant William Waller Dawson (1123166) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Pilot Officer John Frederick Edwards DFM (143652) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Donald Alfred Holdsworth (144654) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Peter John Keay (15302) (Flight Engineer)
Pilot Officer William MacFarlane (142540) (RAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant John Valentine Rees (1321234) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flying Officer Cyril Frederick Williams (123048) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
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, 163/132/275
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line