LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant George Edward NASH
Service No: 419449
Born: Fairfield VIC, 27 November 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 14 August 1942
Unit: No. 61 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Skellingthorpe
Died: Air Operations: (No. 61 Squadron Lancaster aircraft R5856), France, 8 July 1944, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Marissel French National Cemetery, Oise, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Edward John and Sarah Jane Nash, of Fairfield, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Northcote VIC
Remembered: Panel 127, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2207 hours on the night of 7 July 1944 Lancaster R5856 took off from Skellingthorpe detailed to bomb a flying bomb storage site at St Leu d’Esserent, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. A Missing Research and Enquiry team report stated “the aircraft was hit by flak and exploded in the air. It crashed near the village of Mouy, approximately 12 miles south of Beauvais, France.” All the crew members had been killed.
The crew members of R5856 were:
Flight Sergeant Andrew McWilliams Frew (1132241) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Cyril Howard (1896784) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Terence Edward Hunt (1891862) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant George Edward Nash (419449) (Wireless Operator Air)
Flying Officer Reginald Herbert Passant (421619) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant William Smith (1504052) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Peter George Uren (778979) (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, 166/29/132