LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Neil James RANKIN
Service No: 409943
Born: Colac VIC, 27 June 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 7 November 1941
Unit: No. 80 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 80 Squadron Tempest aircraft NV766), Germany, 30 March 1945, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Rheinberg War Cemetery, Kamp Lintfort, Nordrhein-Westfal, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Donald Archibald and Victoria Mary Rankin, of St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Colac VIC
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1400 hours on 30 March 1945 nine Tempest aircraft from the squadron took off to carry out an armed reconnaissance in the Diepholz-Munster area. Light anti-aircraft fire was encountered during an attack on enemy transport and one pilot reported that Flying Officer Rankin had reported on radio that he had been hit and was baling out. He baled out east of Vechta at approximately 1520 hours. NV766 crashed at St Huelfe, which is about 60 miles north west of Hanover, Germany.
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, 166/35/297