LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Dirk Everard TOLLEY
Service No: 417286
Born: Adelaide SA, 9 January 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 28 February 1942
Unit: No. 83 Squadron (RAF), RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 83 Squadron Lancaster aircraft ND499), Germany, 27 April 1944, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Durnbach War Cemetery, Bad Tolz, Bayern, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Eric Everard and Joyce Athol Tolley, of North Adelaide, South Australia
Roll of Honour: Adelaide SA
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Lancaster ND499 took off from RAF Coningsby at 2129 hours on the night of 26 April 1944, detailed to bomb Schweinfurt, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. It was later established that the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed near Goldscheuer a large village, 9 kms south of Kehl. All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of ND499 were:
Flight Lieutenant Alan Boswell (125638) (RAF) (Air Bomber)
Squadron Leader Albert Leslie Collett AFC (45448) (RAF) (Pilot)
Flying Officer Robert Frazer DFC (53739) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Thomas David Halbert DFC (160855) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer Hugh Mason DFM (130794) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer Dirk Everard Tolley (417286) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant David Laing Williams DFC (129004) (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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/40/185