LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Henry George BURNEY
Service No: 402343
Born: Croydon NSW, 6 December 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 August 1940
Unit: No. 112 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations (No. 112 Squadron Kittyhawk aircraft AK772), Libya, 30 May 1942, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Charles William David and Mary Ellen Burney, of Croydon, New South Wales, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Column 265, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 119, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1420 hours on 30 May 1942 Kittyhawk AK772 took off from Gambut Satellite No.1 airfield in a formation of four aircraft to bomb and strafe enemy motor transport at Map Reference 359412 (Derna map 1/500,000). Over the target heavy Breda anti-aircraft fire was encountered as the formation swept down to strafe. Some fire must have hit AK 772 as it was seen to crash in flames. Pilot Officer Burney was not seen to leave the aircraft, and is listed as missing with no known grave.
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, 163/24/256