LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant George Norman CHURCH
Service No: 402438
Born: Cabramatta NSW, 6 May 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 August 1940
Unit: No. 114 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station West Raynham
Died: Air Operations (No. 114 Squadron Blenheim aircraft V5726), Netherlands, 28 January 1942, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Amsterdam New Eastern Cemetery, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Herbert Martin Church and Alice Maud Church; husband of Kathleen Norma Church, of Banksia, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Manly NSW
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1940 hours on the night of 28 January 1942 BlenheimV5726 took off from West Raynham detailed to carry out intruder duties over the Leeuwarden airfield in northern Holland. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire at 2230 hours near the Schiphol airport to the south west of Amsterdam and all three on board were killed.
The crew members of V5726 were:
Sergeant Kenneth Maurice Bird (1281394) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant George Norman Church (402438) (Navigator)
Sergeant Thomas Archie Peters (1281527) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
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, 163/96/106
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line