LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant Noel George SANDLANT

Service No: 430970
Born: Ballarat VIC, 23 December 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 23 April 1943
Unit: No. 78 Operational Training Unit (RAF), Ein Shemer, Palestine
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 78 Operational Training Unit Wellington aircraft MP792), off the Palestine Coast, 8 January 1945, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of George Albert and Isabella May Sandlant, of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Ballarat VIC
Remembered: Column 284, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 130, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

Wellington MP792 took off from RAF Station Ein Shemer at approximately 1800 hours on 8 January 1945 to carry out a non operational training exercise over the sea, and the aircraft failed to return to base. Normal radio contact was kept with the aircraft for a time but after 1835 hours no further messages were received, and base could not regain contact. A little later information was received that an aircraft had crashed in the sea. A launch was despatched to carry out a search, and although some aircraft wreckage similar to the missing aircraft type was located, it could not be established if it came from the missing aircraft. Also no trace of the crew could be found. It was believed that the aircraft came down in the sea approximately 3 miles west of Jaffa, and that the crew were lost at sea.

The crew members of MP792 were:

Flight Sergeant Colin Edward Hunter Barnfield (433709) (Navigator Bomb Aimer)
Flying Officer George Fong (428417) (Second Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Alfred Arthur Robins (436254) (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Noel George Sandlant (430970) (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Alan Bruce Tunnock (435057) (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Albert Howard Williams (10963) (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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/37/684

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