LEST WE FORGET

Sergeant Claude Edward John O’KEEFFE

Service No: 405061
Born: Richmond QLD, 21 June 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 January 1941
Unit: No. 78 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 78 Squadron Halifax aircraft W7822), North Sea, 27 September 1942, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Joseph Vincent and Amy Clara O’Keeffe; husband of Sylvia O’Keeffe, of Toowong, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 113, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

At 2009 hours on 26 September 1942 Halifax W7822 took off from RAF Station Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire, to attack Flensburg, Germany. At 2302 hours a message was received ‘may be forced to land without further signal, both outer engines unserviceable, attacked by fighters, petrol shortage.’ The aircraft was known to be flying over the sea west of the Danish coast when the message was received. Nothing further was heard from the aircraft and it failed to return to base. In 1948 it was concluded that the missing crew members had lost their lives at sea.

The crew members of W7822 were:

Flying Officer Rolf Edgar Atkinson (104526) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Percy Horace Bath (1323476) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Cecil Charles William Crofton (1272132) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Lloyd Sylvester Ernst (R/85838) (RCAF) (Observer)
Flight Sergeant Stanley Goddard Gray (R/79093) (RCAF) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant Frank Lister (1077330) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Claude Edward John O’Keeffe (405061) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant Arthur Edgar Thomas (1262993) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)

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, 163/148/292

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