LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Henry James BROCK
Service No: 428102
Born: Hobart TAS, 23 January 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 4 December 1942
Unit: No. 455 Squadron, RAF Station Dallachy
Died: Air Operations (No. 455 Squadron Beaufighter aircraft NV414), North Sea, 27 February 1945, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Hune Churchyard, Denmark
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Harold J. and Jean Macbeth Brock, of Glenora, Tasmania, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 106, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Brother of Warrant Officer Harold Eric Brock (408396)
Beaufighter NV414 took off from Dallachy at 1815 hours on 27 February 1945 to carry out an anti-shipping strike from Naze eastward to Plae. Three aircraft from the Squadron took part in the sortie and of these NV414 failed to return. The No. 455 Squadron aircraft were accompanied by 3 Rock Beaufighters (No. 404 Squadron (RCAF)) and 6 Torpedo Beaufort aircraft (No. 489 Squadron (RNZAF)). During an attack at 2010 hours on enemy shipping (2 vessel convoy) south of Mandal, NV414 aimed at the front ship but overshot slightly and almost certainly obtained hits on the second vessel. At 2022 hours it sent a radio message ‘port engine cut at 500 feet cause unknown, set course for base.’ At 2300 hours the aircraft made landfall south of Peterhead and the Navigator baled out about half a mile from RAF Station Peterhead and walked into dispersal uninjured. The pilot who was ready to follow the Navigator out was not located and there was no sign of him in the crashed aircraft. His body was later recovered.
The crew members of NV414 were:
Flying Henry James Brock (428102) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant William Alfred Hirst (426597) (Navigator Wireless) Discharged from the RAAF: 24 January 1946
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, 166/6/415