LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Michael Frederick John McNAMARA
Service No: 426658
Born: Murwillumbah NSW, 25 March 1910
Enlisted in the RAAF: 18 July 1942 (at Brisbane QLD)
Unit: No. 102 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Pocklington
Died: Air Operations: (No. 102 Squadron Halifax aircraft MZ651), France, 12 June 1944, Aged 34 Years
Buried: Autheuil Communal Cemetery, Eure, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Michael Vincent and Catherine McNamara; husband of Davine Monica McNamara, of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. B.A.
Roll of Honour: Rockhampton QLD
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2204 hours on the night of 11 June 1944 Halifax MZ651 took off from Pocklington detailed to bomb communications at Massy-Palaiseau, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. A Missing Research and Enquiry team later reported “the aircraft crashed in flames on a hillside near Autheuil approximately 8 miles north east of Everaux, Eure, France. All the crew members were killed.”
The crew members of MZ651 were:
Sergeant John David Francis (1652846) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Norman Lishman (2212899) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Pilot Officer Michael Frederick John McNamara (426658) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Phillip Allan Robson (418571) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Russell Percival Singleton (426696) (Pilot)
Sergeant Herbert Richard Smith (1501417) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Stephen Joseph Thomas (1398046) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
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, 166/26/479