LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Robert Haydon MALCOLM
Service No: 407718
Born: Adelaide SA, 11 June 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 4 January 1941
Unit: No. 11 Squadron (RAF), Fenni, Bangladesh
Died: Ground Accident (No. 11 Squadron Blenheim aircraft Z5980), Bangladesh, 18 April 1943, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Maynamati War Cemetery, Bangladesh
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Maurice Campbell Malcolm and Anne Malcolm; husband of Gladys May Malcolm, of Ivanhoe, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: St Peters SA
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Flight Sergeant Malcolm was killed accidentally on 18 April 1943 at Fenni when hit by a propeller when alighting from an aircraft. Blenheim Z5980 of which Flight Sergeant Malcolm was the navigator bomb aimer had landed and was signalled into its dispersal bay by Leading Aircraftman Overton, a Fitter II Airframe. Malcolm was seen to leave the cockpit and walk down the catwalk, evidently with the intention of assisting to signal the pilot into the entrance to the pen.
On leaving the aircraft Malcolm attempted to walk underneath the mainplane and although the aircraft was stationery walked into the propeller from the rear. He was unlucky to be hit as he had almost cleared the propeller. The engines were immediately switched off and the ambulance called, but Malcolm was found to be dead. An Inquiry found that the deceased had accidentally walked into the airscrew.
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, 166/27/108
Bibliography:
Gaston, Bruce DFC (406646), Harry Horner DFC OAM (406595), Raymond Storer (406666) (Editors), Aircrew for the Duration: of and by members of RAAF EATS Courses 10, 11, 12 & 13, Gaston Horner and Storer, Nedlands WA, 1990