LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Hunter Arthur Aubrey NORTH
Service No: 402279
Born: Taree NSW, 16 July 1911
Enlisted in the RAAF: 22 July 1940
Unit: No. 57 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Feltwell
Died: Air Operations: (No. 57 Squadron Wellington aircraft Z8868), North Sea, 29 September 1941, Aged 30 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur Ernest and Beatrice North, of Forster, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Byron Bay NSW
Remembered: Panel 62, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Byron Bay War Memorial Gates and Memorial Park Sports Fields, Byron Bay NSW
At 1920 hours on 28 September 1941 Wellington Z8868 took off from Feltwell to attack Genoa, Italy. At 0006 hours on 29 September a message was received from Z8868 stating NAP. At 0341 hours a further message stated NOZ, and also requested a QDM (magnetic heading to base) and was given a bearing of 314 degrees. At 0409 hours at further QDM of 314 degrees was given, and later QDMs at 0420 and 0502 hours of 315 degrees. Nothing further was heard from the aircraft after this, and it failed to return to base.
The crew members of Z8868 were:
Sergeant Gordon Lindsay Chapman (R/63908) (RCAF) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Arthur Henry Greenwood (1176111) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant George Hudson (620414) (RAF) (Second Wireless Operator)
Sergeant Hunter Arthur Aubrey North (402279) (Observer)
Sergeant John William Paul (996505) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Ronald George Postans (R/52075) (RCAF) (First Wireless Operator)
It was later recorded that a photograph had been recovered some time before 28 November 1941 near Schiermonnik Island, one of the Friesian Group of Islands off the north coast of Holland. A message on the photo stated that Sergeants North and Postans had been in a dinghy for two days. No trace of the aircraft or missing crew was found, and it was assumed that the crew had lost their lives at sea.
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, 163/147/124
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line