LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Thomas Leslie VINNICOMBE
Service No: 404662
Born: Brisbane QLD, 19 December 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 October 1940
Unit: No. 104 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 104 Squadron Wellington aircraft Z8568), Egypt, 25 July 1942, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Herbert and Jessie M. Vinnicombe, of Manly, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Manly QLD
Remembered: Column 266, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2308 hours on 24 July 1942 Wellington Z8568 took off from Kabrit to carry out operations against Tobruk. On 25 July the following signals were received from Z8568: 0238 hours “serious engine trouble may be forced to land”; 0246 hours “height 1,500 feet, course 105deg airspeed 100 mph”; 0308 hours “position 31.02 N 27.30 E”. The operator then changed frequency to Burg-el-Arab H/F D/F who worked the aircraft until 0420 hours. By this time the aircraft should have reached Burg-el-Arab or the vicinity thereof, but the aircraft did not land. Searches the next day found no trace of the missing aircraft. Sergeant Stokes who became a PoW later stated “the aircraft crashed near Fuka Egypt. Four airmen were killed in the crash in the Western desert on 25 July. Sergeant Eke was still alive on the 26th and badly injured.” Stokes set out to seek aid and was taken prisoner on 28 July. He told the Italians the whereabouts of the aircraft and of Sergeant Eke and had not heard anything further. Following post war searches and enquiries, no trace of the five missing crew members was found.
The crew members of Z8568 were:
Sergeant George Lewis Eke (1196631) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot) Fatally injured, Died: 26 July 1942*
Sergeant Ronald Augustine Milner (1233252) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Monte Ralph Morey (403874) (Second Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant Douglas Coe Porter (1176878) (RAFVR) (Observer)
Sergeant H M Stokes (627443) (RAF) (Air Gunner) PoW
Flight Sergeant Thomas Leslie Vinnicombe (404662) (First Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
* Shown as 25 July 1942 by GWGC On-Line Record
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, 163/175/101