LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Ronald Andre BEAL
Service No: 412883
Born: Yenda NSW, 19 December 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 15 August 1941
Unit: No. 70 Squadron (RAF), Cerignola
Died: Air Operations (No. 70 Squadron Wellington aircraft LN380), Italy, 27 January 1944, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Bari War Cemetery, Carbonara, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Ronald and Louise Beal, of Bethune, New South Wales, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Yenda NSW
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Griffith Cenotaph, Griffith NSW
Wellington LN380 took off from Tortorella Landing Ground, Italy, at 1815 hours on 27th January 1944, detailed to carry out an operational flight. It crashed shortly after take off some 5 miles ENE of Foggia, Southern Italy, and all the crew were killed. The aircraft was seen to be on fire after making one circuit of the aerodrome and burning parts seen falling from the fuselage by eye witnesses. The aircraft crashed and later the bombs exploded.
The crew members of LN 380 were:
Flight Sergeant Ronald Andre Beal (412883) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant William Frederick Brenton (417453) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Frederick Ronald Clayton (414199) (Navigator Bomb Aimer)
Flight Sergeant John Stanley Hastings Cox (1311063) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Gilbert Thomas Foster (1583331) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Francis Eugene Maher (1395005) (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, 166/5/416
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line