LEST WE FORGET

Flying Officer Duncan George Fletcher MacRAE

Service No: 403364
Born: Sydney NSW, 2 August 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 January 1941
Unit: No. 118 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Peterhead
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 118 Squadron Spitfire aircraft ML406), off the Scottish Coast, 23 August 1944, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Donald and Mary MacRae, of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Newcastle NSW
Remembered: Panel 257, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Commonwealth Bank of Australia Honour Rolls, Sydney NSW
Remembered: St Phillip’s Presbyterian Church, Newcastle NSW

On 23 August 1944 Spitfire ML406 flown by Flying Officer MacRae took off from Peterhead as one of four aircraft detailed to carry out formation and cine head firing practice over the sea. The leader seeing the weather was deteriorating turned back for land. During the turn Black 3 who was deputy leader crossed over and gaining height disappeared into cloud at about 300 feet which presumably he had not seen. About 15 seconds later another member of the flight saw an aircraft dive out of the cloud and into the sea. The Section turned back to the spot and found an oil patch. Air Sea Rescue launches and aircraft were sent out immediately but searches for several hours found nothing. The pilot would have had insufficient time to bale out and little hope of survival from the impact. The crash position was in the sea north east of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire. In 1946 it was concluded that Flying Officer MacRae had lost his life at sea.

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, 166/26/553
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line

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