LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Ronald Bruce McILROY
Service No: 413319
Born: Kogarah NSW, 24 February 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 16 August 1941
Unit: No. 40 Squadron (RAF), Gardabia South, Libya
Died: Air Operations: (No. 40 Squadron Wellington aircraft HZ 248), Tunisia, 19 April 1943, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Enfidaville War Cemetery, Tunisia
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Thomas Steele McIlroy and Ella Emily McIlroy, of Greenwick, New South Wales, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: St Giles Anglican Church Greenwich – Honour Roll, Greenwich NSW
Remembered: Australia Remembers 1939-1945 Memorial, Lane Cove NSW
On the night of 19/20th April 1943 Wellington HZ 248 was detailed to attack the landing ground at Soliman South. The target was at 36.39N 10.30E in Tunis in the vicinity of Zaghouan. HZ 248 took off at 1750 hours but nothing was heard from the aircraft and it failed to return to base. Other aircraft returning from the same mission reported seeing two aircraft shot down over the target and crash in flames at 2055 and 2105 hours. All crew members were killed.
The crew members of HZ 248 were:
Sergeant Alan Gordon Allwright (1324019) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Donald Norman Dawson (405837) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Ronald Bruce McIlroy (413319) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Walter Samuel Sinclair (415199) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Anthony St Clair Turner (411193) (Pilot)
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, 166/26/96
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line