LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Athol Louis OPAS
Service No: 400354
Born: Caulfield VIC, 8 November 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 18 August 1940
Unit: No. 108 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 108 Squadron Wellington aircraft AD629), Libya/Egypt area, 12 August 1942, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Joseph Henry and Sarah Rebecca Opas, of St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: St Kilda VIC
Remembered: Column 266, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1946 hours on 12 August 1942 Wellington AD629 took off to carry out an operational sortie against Tobruk. Nothing further was heard of the aircraft or crew members after take-off. In 1948 it was recorded that all the crew members lost their lives and have no known graves.
The crew members of AD629 were:
Flying Officer William Gengos (402864) (Second Pilot)
Pilot Officer Roy Bertram Harris (112554) (RAFVR) (Navigator) No. 458 Squadron RAAF attached to No. 108 Squadron
Sergeant Morris David Hart (402596) (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Sergeant Athol Louis Opas (400354) (Wireless Operator)
Sergeant John Holman Taylor (1281936) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Sergeant David Maitland Watts (402425) (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, 163/148/267