LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Keith Robert James BRADBURY
Service No: 412373
Born: Melbourne VIC, 16 November 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 July 1941 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 100 Squadron (RAF), RAF Grimsby, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 100 Squadron Lancaster aircraft JB673), Germany, 30 January 1944, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of W. James Bradbury and Daisy E. Bradbury, of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Orange NSW
Remembered: Panel 119, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Flight Sergeant Bradbury survived the loss of Lancaster JB647 (Flight Sergeant Trevor Newstead (416780) (Pilot)) on 24 November 1943.
At 1735 hours on the night of 30/31st January 1944 Lancaster JB673 took off from RAF Grimsby detailed to bomb Berlin. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed at the village of Schwante, which is about 30 kms north west of Berlin. All the crew members were killed
The crew members of JB673 were:
Flight Sergeant Keith Robert James Bradbury (412373) (Navigator)
Sergeant Thomas Campbell (1475547) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant George Stanley Ellis (1604178) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Gordon Arthur Orchard (1387790) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer Richard Morgan Parker (150097) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer Geoffrey Silverwood (171455) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Eric Starkie (1777090) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
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, 166/6/336