LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant Francis John O’GRADY

Service No: 411811
Born: Sydney NSW, 26 March 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 25 May 1941
Unit: No. 77 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Elvington
Died: Air Operations: (No. 77 Squadron Halifax aircraft JD152), Germany, 28 May 1943, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John and Lillian Louisa O’Grady, of Strathfield, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Strathfield World War II Roll of Honour, Strathfield NSW

At 2239 hours on the night of 27 May 1943 Halifax JD152 took off from Elvington detailed to bomb Essen, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. A report by a Missing Research and Enquiry team stated “the aircraft crashed in flames at Lavesum about 4 kms north of Haltern, Germany.” All the crew members were killed.

The crew members of JD152 were:

Sergeant Charles Basil Anderson (955870) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Wilfred Reginald Beadsmoore (1380112) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Cecil Clarke (1497822) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Geoffrey Herbert Garrard (1330009) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant William Alfred Manning (1300611) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flying Officer Bernard Christopher McGrath (120663) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Francis John O’Grady (411811) (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, 166/31/64
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line

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