LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer John Leonard MAY
Service No: 412993
Born: Kurri Kurri NSW, 14 November 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 15 August 1941
Unit: No. 456 Squadron, Deployed to RAF Station Bradwell Bay, Essex
Died: Air Operations: (No. 456 Squadron Mosquito aircraft DD739), Netherlands, 4 December 1943, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Amsterdam New Eastern Cemetery, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Dr. Leonard May and Kathleen Elizabeth May, of Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Chatswood NSW
Remembered: Panel 106, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: University of Sydney World War II Roll of Honour, Camperdown NSW
At 0049 hours on 4 December 1943, Mosquito DD739 took off from Bradwell Bay on a Mahmoud operation. The aircraft was engaged to support bombers detailed to attack a target at Leipzig, Germany. DD739’s estimated arrival time at base was 0630 hours but nothing was heard from the aircraft and it failed to return.
The crew members of DD739 were:
Pilot Officer John Leonard May (412993) (Pilot)
Flying Officer Leslie Rupert Parnell (411178) (Navigator Radio)
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, 166/27/292
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line