LEST WE FORGET

Flying Officer Keith Walter PAUL

Service No: 411817
Born: Parramatta NSW, 9 October 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 25 May 1941
Unit: No. 157 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 157 Squadron Mosquito aircraft DD777), English Channel, 20 January 1943, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Walter Robert Paul, and of Lily E. K. Paul, of Harris Park, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Parramatta NSW
Remembered: Panel 189, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Parramatta High School Second World War Honour Roll, Parramatta NSW

Mosquito DD777 took off at 2000 hours on 20 January 1943 for an operational patrol. The aircraft was handed over to the Sector Controller at Trimley, who issued several vectors which brought DD777 to within one and a half miles astern of an enemy aircraft at 12,000 feet in a position about 30 miles east of Clacton. At approximately 2225 hours the pilot of DD777 reported “out of control”, but the aircraft failed to respond to the Controller to repeat the message. All subsequent efforts to communicate with the aircraft failed. A night search was undertaken by No. 117 Squadron aircraft as well as air sea rescue boats as continued after first light next morning. No trace was found of the missing aircraft or crew. In 1949 it was recorded that the crew had lost their lives at sea.

The crew members of DD777 were:

Pilot Officer Cornelius Patrick Finbarr Cronin (60358) (RAFVR) (Navigator/Radio)
Flying Officer Keith Walter Paul (411817) (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, 166/32/15
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line

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