LEST WE FORGET
Ground Accident: No. 462 Squadron, Gardabia Main airfield, Tunisia, 20 April 1943
On 20 April 1943 an explosion occurred at Gardabia Main aerodrome, Tunisia, when a No. 462 Squadron Halifax was being bombed up for the night’s operation. Twelve members of the Squadron were killed in the explosion.
The explosion occurred while armourers were engaged in bombing up an aircraft for the night’s operations. The aircraft immediately blew up and other explosions occurred. At the first explosion the Commanding Officer Wing Commander Warner, who was approaching the aircraft with a view to inspecting it, saw an airman stagger from under the nose of the aircraft and immediately went to his assistance dragging the airman although seriously injured, clear. Almost immediately another explosion occurred with fragments of aircraft and shrapnel flying about in all directions. The area was immediately put out of bounds as a safety measure as there were a number of bombs in the vicinity. A Roll call of all Sections was made and it was found that 12 airmen had lost their lives in the accident and two were seriously injured. All are buried in the Tripoli War Cemetery, Libya. The cause of the accident is not known but it was assumed that in the course of fusing a delayed action bomb it exploded and the blast caused other bombs by the aircraft to explode.
Those killed were:
Corporal George Thomas Atkinson (1112942) (RAFVR)
Leading Aircraftman Thomas Boan (1551256) (RAFVR)
Aircraftman Class 1 Victor Courtney (1557703) (RAFVR)
Leading Aircraftman Henry Dyne (1204592) (RAFVR)
Leading Aircraftman Cyril Grove (1140019) (RAFVR)
Leading Aircraftman Edwin Roland Lister (577769) (RAF)
Sergeant William Henry Mason (525479) (RAF)
Leading Aircraftman Truman Joseph Merricks (1299118) (RAFVR)
Leading Aircraftman John Scott (994763) (RAFVR)
Leading Aircraftman Peter Thomas Robert Spry (1279389) (RAFVR)
Leading Aircraftman Robert Gray Thompson (1551979) (RAFVR)
Leading Aircraftman Joseph Roy Watts (1352287) (RAFVR)
A similar accident occurred on 20 November 1943 at Terria in which Corporal Harry Freeman (25093) (Fitter 2A) and ten RAF members were killed.
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