LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Ronald Neville KIRKLAND
Service No: 420961
Born: Bangalow NSW, 22 March 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 December 1941
Unit: No. 460 Squadron, RAF Station Binbrook, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 460 Squadron Lancaster aircraft LM545), off the French Coast, 28 May 1944, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Archibald John and Annie Irene Kirkland; husband of May Lilian Kirkland, of Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Lismore NSW
Remembered: Panel 258, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 107, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Alstonville War Memorial, Alstonville NSW
Remembered: Booyong Pearces Creek, Pearces Creek NSW
20 RAAF Lancasters were dispatched against coastal gun emplacements at Merville, France on 27th-28th May causing considerable damage to the whole site, although the heavily casemated guns still appeared intact.
Extract from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Over Europe 1944-1945, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1963 – Page 36
Lancaster LM545 took off from RAF Binbrook at 2330 hours on 27 May 1944 to bomb coastal gun emplacements at Merville, France. The bomb load was 11 x 1000 lb (pound) (450 kg) and 6 x 500 lb (225 kg) bombs. Nothing was heard from LM545 after take off and it did not return to base.
The crew members of LM545 were:
Sergeant Anthony Peter Allen (1850401) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Frank Vennard Gott (1620754) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Flying Officer John Hardman (151349) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer Ronald Neville Kirkland (420961) (Pilot)
Sergeant Harry George John O’Bree (1319093) (RAF) (Bomb Aimer)
Sergeant Arnold Gordon Puiu (1604653) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Barry Wilson (434094) (Mid Upper 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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/22/254
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line
Bibliography:
Firkins, P. C. (Peter Charles) (441386) Strike and Return, Westward Ho Publishing City Beach WA, 1985