LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant John Ralph MacLEOD
Service No: 413883
Born: Semaphore SA, 3 March 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 13 September 1941 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 70 Squadron (RAF), Djedeida, Tunisia
Died: Air Operations: (No. 70 Squadron Wellington aircraft LN301), Mediterranean, 22 November 1943, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Mrs. R. Macleod, of Potts Point, New South Wales, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 11, Column 2, Malta Memorial, Malta
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Wellington LN301 of 70 Squadron took off from Djedeida North landing ground, 15 miles north west of Tunis, at 1712 hours on 22 November 1943 to attack Ciampino aerodrome, Italy. Messages were received from the aircraft at 2144 and 2229 hours when LN 301 requested a bearing and course to return. An identification message believed to have come from the aircraft at 2315 hours was received, but after that nothing further was heard, and the aircraft did not return to base. Following post war enquiries and investigations, it was recorded in 1949 that the missing crew had no known grave.
The crew members of LN301 were:
Flight Sergeant John Arthur Buckman (422401) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Ian Lovat Fraser (420178) (Second Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Geoffrey Gordon Gillett (415779) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant William Brown Hamilton (1444393) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant John Ralph MacLeod (413883) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant John Francis Madden (422648) (Observer)
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, 166/26/313