LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer Francis Joseph KEEGAN
Service No: 405963
Born: Wolfram Camp QLD, 9 May 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 17 July 1941
Unit: No. 38 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 38 Squadron Wellington aircraft JB296), Greece, 3 June 1944, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Phaleron War Cemetery, Athens, Greece
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Francis James Keegan and Madeline Margaret Keegan, of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On the 2 June 1944 Wellington JB296 was detailed to carry out mining operations in Khalkis Harbour, Greece, Nothing was heard from the aircraft after it took off at 2030 hours and it failed to return to base. At 2255 hours another Wellington from No. 38 Squadron saw a flashing light in position 34.55N 022.13E and the area was searched for 15 minutes without success. A further search was conducted on 3 June but nothing was found of the aircraft or crew. The aircraft had crashed into the harbour with four crew members killed and two taken Prisoner of War.
The crew members of JB296 were:
Warrant Officer John Andrew Ashdown (414851) (RNZAF) (Wireless Operator Air)
Flight Sergeant L W Cook (1314478) (RAFVR) (Pilot) PoW
Warrant Officer Charles Faust (425406) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant J Hamilton (1338203) (RAFVR) (Pilot) PoW
Warrant Officer Francis Joseph Keegan (405963) (Wireless Operator Air)
Flight Sergeant Patrick Michael Murphy (1534669) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
A later joint PoW report stated: “the aircraft crashed about half a mile on the Aegean side of the Khalkis Bridge. We were the only two to get out. We swam around the scene for 15 minutes but saw no sign of the others, and we believed they were either killed in ditching the aircraft or drowned. At 0200 hours we were picked up by a German E or F boat.” The locals stated that the aircraft was shot down and crashed in the harbour. In 1953 the remains of the four missing crew members were recovered from the wreck.
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, 166/22/261