LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Henry George NEVILLE
Service No: 401392
Born: Melbourne VIC, 14 August 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 2 February 1941
Unit: No. 13 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 13 Squadron Blenheim aircraft V5380), France, 19 August 1942, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Canadian War Cemetery, Hautot-sur-Mer, Seine-Maritime, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Joseph James Neville and Mary Johnstone Neville, of Brunswick, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brunswick VIC
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 19 August 1942 Blenheim V5380 with other aircraft from the Squadron was detailed to carry out a smoke laying mission at Dieppe, France. The aircraft were instructed to fly in formation of threes via Boscombe Down. The No. 13 Squadron aircraft were accompanied by Blenheims from No. 614 Squadron RAF and Boston aircraft from No. 226 Squadron RAF. The leader of the V5380 formation (Flight Lieutenant Beverley) took off punctually from Boscombe Down, followed by the No 2 aircraft flown by Pilot Officer Rogan who failed to put on that aircraft’s navigation lights. Pilot Officer Woodland the pilot of V5380 (No 3) then took off but was unable to find the No. 2 aircraft. Pilot Officer Rogan later reported that he believed he heard Pilot Officer Woodland call him by radio and report that he was going to turn back to orbit Boscombe Down in an endeavour to find the lead aircraft. From then nothing further was heard from V5380. The weather at the time of take-off was fine. It was later established that V5380 had proceeded independently and was lost over France and all the crew members had been were killed.
The crew members of V5380 were:
Sergeant Austin Stanley Boyd (1112889) (RAFVR) (Observer)
Sergeant Henry George Neville (401392) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Cecil Lloyd Woodland (47768) (RAF) (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, 163/147/273