LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Walter Francis BURGE
Service No: 413820
Born: Burwood NSW, 31 January 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 13 September 1941
Unit: No. 431 Squadron (RCAF)
Died: Air Operations (No. 431 Squadron Halifax aircraft LK632), Germany, 18 November 1943, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Rheinberg War Cemetery, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Herbert Lawrence Burge and Frances Blanche Burge; husband of Gwenyth Ailsa Leslie Burge, of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Mona Vale NSW
Remembered: Panel 133, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Flight Sergeant Burge was involved in an aircraft accident on 15 September 1943 in which Flight Sergeant Roy Clegg (420337) was killed.
At 1640 hours on 18/19 November 1943, Halifax LK632 took off from RAF Tholthorpe detailed to bomb Mannheim, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed at Hohen-Sulzen, some 10kms west south west of Worms, Germany. All the crew members were killed
The crew members of LK632 were:
Sergeant Douglas Gordon Addison (R/225303) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Walter Francis Burge (413820) (Pilot)
Sergeant William Carter Gilchrist (R/139912) (RCAF) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Warrant Officer II William James Nickerson (R/130836) (RCAF) (Navigator)
Sergeant Brian Charles Paul (1218542) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flying Officer John William Potts (151236) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant T G Roberts (1653106) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
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 166/6/329