LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Leo McAULIFFE
Service No: 412624
Born: Sydney NSW, 17 November 1940
Enlisted in the RAAF: 20 July 1941
Unit: No. 222 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 222 Squadron Tempest aircraft NV710), Netherlands, 17 March 1945, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Hellendoorn General Cemetery, Overijssel, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Gabriel and Muriel McAuliffe, of Bexley, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Bexley NSW
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 17 March 1945 Tempest NV710 was one of two Tempest aircraft detailed to carry out a patrol of the Nijmegan-Cleve-Xanten area and to supply weather information. Flight Lieutenant McAuliffe piloting the leading aircraft took off at 1015 hours and 25 minuted later were in a position approximately 25 miles south east of the Zuider Zee. McAuliffe informed the pilot of the other aircraft and base that he was going down through the cloud to investigate its thickness and height. This was completed and both aircraft began to climb again. On the way up the second pilot asked McAuliffe for his altitude. This was given as 6,000 feet, but the transmission was very distorted. On breaking cloud the second pilot saw no sign of McAuliffe nor could he obtain any reply to calls made on the radio. Ground control then intervened and continued to call while the second pilot circled the area and obtained a fix of the position which was near Devenor to the north east of Apeldoorn. Nothing further was seen or heard of NV710. The aircraft crashed near Hellendoorn, Holland, and Flight Lieutenant McAuliffe was killed.
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, 166/26/854