LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Rowland SECOMB
Service No: 404118
Born: Toowoomba QLD, 21 February 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 24 May 1940
Unit: No. 38 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 38 Squadron Wellington aircraft Z8776), near Tripoli, 23 September 1941, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Tripoli War Cemetery, Libya
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Wilfrid Carlyon Secomb and Bertha Violet Secomb, of Taringa, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 130, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2103 hours on the night of 22 September 1941 Wellington Z8776 took off from Luqa, Malta, detailed to carry out operations against Tripoli, Libya. The aircraft failed to return to base from the mission. It was later established that the aircraft was shot down near Tripoli and all the crew lost their lives. Sergeant Secomb was recovered but the other five crew members have no known graves and their names are commemorated on the Malta Memorial.
The crew members Z8776 were:
Sergeant Peter Frederick Bold (1257611) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Walter Forsyth Prins Brown (552631) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant William John Poole (1377523) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Rowland Secomb (404118) (Pilot)
Sergeant James Christopher Sheridan (979892) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Robert Hollis Toshack (R/59108) (RCAF) (Observer)
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, 163/161/121
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