LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant John Alexander Brock MARSHALL
Service No: 400813
Born: Kyneton VIC, 13 August 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 8 November 1940
Unit: No. 78 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Middleton St George
Died: Air Operations: (No. 78 Squadron Halifax aircraft W7809), Belgium, 28 August 1942, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Overdijse (Tombeek) Churchyard, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James Edward and Grace Hope Marshall, of East Malvern, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Malvern VIC
Remembered: Panel 127, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1941 hours on the night of 28 August 1942 Halifax W7809 took off from Middleton-St-George detailed to bomb Saarbrucken, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed between Ovedijse and Tombeek (Brabant), 17 kms south east of Brussels. All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of W78709 were:
Sergeant George Edward Dunn (963723) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Warrant Officer Terence Michael Manning (581403) (RAF) (Observer)
Sergeant John Alexander Brock Marshall (400813) (Pilot)
Sergeant Joseph Potton Martin (1499066) (RAFVR) (Observer)
Sergeant John George Mellor (1008176) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Terris Haggie Miller (R/72545) (RCAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Samuel Ross (R/71069) (RCAF) (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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/142/449