LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Finlay Donald McLEOD
Service No: 403431
Born: Narrabri NSW, 18 June 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 January 1941
Unit: No. 12 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Binbrook, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 12 Squadron Wellington aircraft W5372), Netherlands, 26 March 1942, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Bergen General Cemetery, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Finlay Hugh and Christabelle Noreen McLeod, of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Newcastle NSW
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Newcastle Boys High School Memorial Entrance World War II, Waratah NSW
Remembered: Memorial Grove, Newcastle NSW
Wellington W5372 took off from Binbrook at 2011 hours on the night of 26/27 March 1942 to bomb Essen, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. It was later established that the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter at 2358 hours
and crashed between Novenkarspel and Enkhuizen (Noord-Holland), 16 kms east north east of
Hoorn and all the crew members had been killed.
The crew members of W5372 were:
Flight Sergeant Bruce Albert Doe (R/62688) (RCAF) (Observer)
Flight Sergeant Mervyn Duncan (R/61792) (RCAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Wing Commander Albert Golding DFC & Bar (33027) (RAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant William Stanley Makin (1100613) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Finlay Donald McLeod (403431) (Second Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Percival Gordon Thorpe (1378582) (RAFVR) (Rear 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, 163/141/502
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line