LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Harold Bevan REID
Service No: 400833
Born: Echuca VIC, 20 October 1911
Enlisted in the RAAF: 9 November 1940
Unit: No. 450 Squadron
Died: Air Operations: (No. 450 Squadron Kittyhawk aircraft FL879), Libya, 31 October 1942, Aged 31 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James Spencer Reid and Susannah Reid; husband of Mary Ellen Reid, of Brighton, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brighton VIC
Remembered: Column 266, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 105, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 31 October 1942, Kittyhawk FL879 flown by Sergeant Reid was one of a formation of four aircraft fitted with long range tanks that took off at 1349 hours to strafe Barrani Road, Libya.
After strafing the road, two ME109s were sighted and they attacked the Kittyhawk formation. Flight Lieutenant David Robert Law (403140) (Discharged: 4 march 1945) the Formation Leader turned sharply and saw an Me109 fire on FL879. When Flight Lieutenant Law turned again he saw a cloud of dust and fire on the ground and FL879 failed to return to base.
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, 163/156/190
Bibliography:
Ilbery, P.L.T. (Peter Leslie Thomas) (422957) Hatching an Air Force: 2SFTS, 5SFTS, 1BFTS Uranquinty and Wagga Wagga, Banner Books Maryborough QLD 4650, 2002