LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant Ronald James RAYS

Service No: 420270
Born: Byron Bay NSW, 14 December 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 October 1941
Unit: No. 101 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Ludford Magna
Died: Air Operations: (No. 101 Squadron Lancaster aircraft JA977), France, 23 September 1943, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Choloy War Cemetery, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James Victor and Laura Lyle Rays; husband of Lillian Dorothy Rays, of Dulwich Hill, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Byron Bay NSW
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Byron Bay War Memorial Gates and Memorial Park Sports Fields, Byron Bay NSW

Lancaster JA977 took off from Ludford Magna at 1819 hours on the night of 23/24 September 1943 detailed to bomb Mannheim, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was damaged during enemy action and shortly afterwards exploded in the air. It crashed near the village of Crigy, Mozelle, France, and six of the crew members were killed and two became Prisoners of War.

The crew members of JA977 were:

Sergeant Robert Alfred Clothier (1386024) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Eugene Joseph Cooper (R/87128) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Jack Rodney Haworth (1483107) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant George Howard McGillivray (410415) (Air Bomber) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 9 October 1945
Flight Sergeant Ronald James Rays (420270) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flying Officer Arthur Oswald Stafford DFM (138810) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) (Specialist Equipment Operator)
Flying Officer Donald Stuart Turner (131600) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer Allen William Henry Tustin DFM (146932) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) PoW

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, 166/25/61
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line

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