LEST WE FORGET

Pilot Officer Edwin Roy PARKE

Service No: 400288
Born: Moonee Ponds VIC, 23 December 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 18 August 1940
Unit: No. 17 Operational Training Unit (RAF)
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 17 Operational Training Unit Blenheim aircraft Z7453), North Sea, 21 January 1942, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Hubert Norman Maxwell Parke and Gertrude Josephine Parke, of Mornington, Victoria, Australia. Health Inspector for Melbourne City Council
Roll of Honour: Essendon VIC
Remembered: Panel 110, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

On 21 January 1942 Blenheim Z7453 took off from RAF Station Upwood on an operational training flight when the aircraft was forced to ditch in the North sea approx 3 miles east of Filey. The route to be followed was Upwood – Dishforth – Filey – a point approximately 80 miles east of Filey over the North Sea – Filey –Base. The air sea rescue service conducted searches over the area but no trace was found of the missing aircraft or crew. In 1948 it was recorded that the missing crew members had lost their lives at sea.

The crew members of Z7453 were:

Sergeant Francis Coakley (1104373) (RAFVR)
Pilot Officer Edwin Roy Parke (40288) (Pilot)
Sergeant Maurice York (999794) (RAFVR)

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, 163/53/115

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