LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Gordon SWEENEY DFC
Service No: 404555
Born: Glen Innes NSW, 22 May 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 October 1940 (at Brisbane QLD)
Unit: No. 105 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Marham
Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), 29 May 1942
Died: Air Operations: (No. 105 Squadron Mosquito aircraft DZ591), North West Europe, 22 October 1943, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Hilton Andrew Curry Sweeney and Olive Ruth Sweeney; husband of Dorothy Joan Sweeney, of McMahons Point, New South Wales, Australia. Captain in the Salvation Army
Roll of Honour: Dorrigo NSW
Remembered: Panel 187, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Dorrigo Monument, Dorrigo NSW
DFC Citation (for service with No. 9 Squadron (RAF): As Captain and Navigator of aircraft respectively, Pilot Officer Sweeney and Flying Officer Tettenborn (RAF) of No. 9 Squadron RAF carried out a low level attack on an aircraft factory at Warnemunde one night in May 1942. Skilfully avoiding the beams of a large number of searchlights, Pilot Officer Sweeney pressed home his attack and released his bombs on two buildings, around which aircraft on the ground were dispersed, and on three nearby sheds. The aircraft was flown so low to ensure accuracy that some of the aircrew thought it was on fire as it passed over the smoke and flames caused by the explosions. Little damage was sustained however, and the aircraft was flown safely back to base. Throughout the operation both Pilot Officer Sweeney and Flying Officer Tettenborn displayed perfect teamwork, great skill and undaunted courage.
At 1942 hours on 22 October 1943 Mosquito DZ 591 took off from Marham to attack Knapsack Power Station near Cologne. DZ 591 also carried special radar equipment and had a load of 3 x 500 lb (220 kg) and 1 x 250 lb (110 kg) bombs. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it did not return to base. Following post war enquiries and investigations, it was recorded in 1950 that the missing crew members had no known graves.
The crew members of DZ591 were:
Flight Lieutenant Gordon Sweeney DFC (404555) (Pilot)
Flight Lieutenant William George Wood (128447) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
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, 163/57/238
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line