LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Kenric Newton Lathrop MURRAY
Service No: 400152
Born: Melbourne VIC, 23 October 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 23 June 1940
Unit: No. 249 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 249 Squadron Spitfire aircraft AB343), Malta, 10 March 1942, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Malta (Capucinni) Naval Cemetery, Malta
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Hugh Lathrop Murray and Eila Isabel Murray, of Toorak, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Toorak VIC
Remembered: Panel 127, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Pilot Officer Murray was trained as a pilot at No. 1 Service Flying Training School RCAF at Camp Borden, Ontario, Canada, and was then converted to flying Spitfire aircraft at No. 57 Operational Training Unit, Hawarden, Wales. He flew 44 sorties during 1941-42 over Northern France while serving with No. 602 Squadron RAF. He was credited with one Bf 109F destroyed at 1920 hours on 3 August 1941 at South Marquise, Pas-de-Calais, France.
Pilot Officer Murray was one of fifteen pilots on Operation Spotter, flying the first Spitfires off HMS Eagle to Malta on 7 March 1942. He was shot down on 10 March 1942 by Hptm. Karl-Heinz Krahl, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 3 flying a Bf 109 aircraft for his 19th victory (first Spitfire loss at Malta). Murray baled out, but his parachute failed to open due to low altitude and he died of injuries in No.90 British General Hospital, Mtarfa. Spitfire AB343 crashed south-west of Siggiewi near Il-Fawwara, at two sites (main fuselage and tail section).
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, 163/45/143
Information supplied by Family Members