LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Andrew John NEESON
Service No: 410557
Born: St Kilda VIC, 28 February 1912
Enlisted in the RAAF: 30 January 1942
Unit: No. 626 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Wickenby
Died: Air Operations: (No. 626 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ME587), North West Europe, 31 January 1944, Aged 31 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James and Alexandrina Neeson, of West Preston, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brunswick VIC
Remembered: Panel 261, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 127, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Lancaster ME587 took off from Wickenby at 1718 hours on 31 January 1944 to attack Berlin. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it did not return to base. Following post war enquiries and investigations, it was recorded in 1949 that the missing crew members had no known graves.
The crew members of ME587 were:
Sergeant Robert Edward Allen (J/86012) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant William Andrew Melrose Anderson (1821629) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Albert Ervin Lafferty (J/86397) (RCAF) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Andrew John Neeson (410557) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Charles Arthur Shears Noad (1392350) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant James Sydney Pomeroy (1894985) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flying Officer John Wilkinson (151058) (RAFVR) (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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/29/88