LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Francis Emanuel O’CONNELL
Service No: 432451
Born: West Maitland NSW, 6 March 1922
Enlisted in the RAF: 23 December 1942
Unit: No. 35 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Graveley
Died: Air Operations: (No. 35 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ND731), Germany, 5 July 1944, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Emance Communal Cemetery, Yvlines, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Francis Vincent and Vida Margaret O’Connell, of Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Cessnock NSW
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: St John’s Anglican Church World War II Roll of Honour, Cessnock NSW
Lancaster ND731 took off from RAF Graveley at 2314 hours on the night of 4 July 1944 to attack the railway yards at Villeneuve-St-Georges, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed at 0131 hours on 5th July 1944 between St-Hilarion (Yvelines) and Emance, France. Four crew members were killed, three became Prisoners of War and one evaded capture.
The crew members of ND731 were:
Flight Lieutenant John Grant Cooke (46790) (RAF) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Warrant Officer R J Goode (574067) (RAF) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Flight Lieutenant David Rotely Hall (84714) (RAF) (Bomb Aimer) PoW
Squadron Leader George Frank Lambert DFC (63419) (RAF) (Pilot)
Flying Officer P Moorhead (RAF) (152653) (Second Bomb Aimer) Evaded capture
Flying Officer Francis Emanuel O’Connell (432451) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Frank Desmond Round DFM (48054) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Flying Officer Frank Salt (153291) (RAF) (Navigator) PoW
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, 166/31/217
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line