LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant John Terry BRAY
Service No: 402848
Born: Townsville QLD, 3 August 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 November 1940 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 156 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Alconbury
Died: Air Operations (No. 156 Squadron Wellington aircraft BJ840), North Sea, 29 July 1942, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Kirkeby Churchyard, Denmark
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Leonard Samuel and Katherine Charlotte Bray, of Neutral Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Turramurra NSW
Remembered: Panel 119, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Knox Grammar School Old Boys’ War Memorial, Wahroonga NSW
Remembered: Ku-ring-gai World War II Book of Remembrance, Gordon NSW
At 2301 hours on the night of 28 July 1942 Wellington BJ840 took off from Alconbury detailed to bomb Hamburg, Germany. A message was received from the aircraft on its return journey giving its position as 55.24N 006.48E, which placed the aircraft somewhere over the North Sea. No further messages were received and the aircraft failed to return to base. It was presumed that the aircraft was lost over the North Sea, and that all the crew members lost their lives.
The crew members of BJ840 were:
Flight Sergeant John Terry Bray (402848) (Second Pilot) Remains recovered
Sergeant John Duthie (1058876) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant William David Evans (1360096) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant John George Hudock (J/15491) (RCAF) (Observer)
Wing Commander Herbert Laurence Price DFC (705551) (RAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant Michael William Walsh (1159245) (RAFVR) (Air 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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705 163/93/608
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line