LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Sidney Maynard CLOSE
Service No: 416413
Born: Laura SA, 10 February 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 23 June 1941
Unit: No. 142 Squadron (RAF), Kairouan, Tunisia
Died: Air Operations (No. 142 Squadron Wellington aircraft LN330), Italy, 20 October 1943, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Rome War Cemetery, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Sidney Kitchen Close and Beatrice May Close, of Rose Park, South Australia. B.Ag.Sc.
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Brother of Flight Sergeant James Raymond Close (26784)
Wellington LN330 of 142 Squadron took off at 1650 hours on 20th October 1943, detailed to bomb Purbura Aerodrome. No news was received from the aircraft after take off, and it failed to return to base. Several crews reported seeing an aircraft falling in flames over the target but no definite time was stated. It is believed that this aircraft was LN330 and all the crew members were killed.
The crew members of LN 330 were:
Flight Sergeant Sidney Maynard Close (416413) (Pilot)
Warrant Officer John Joseph Craner (403791) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Stanley Potts (138297) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Peter Lewis Smith (1230427) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Ronald Clifford Williams (409357) (Bomb Aimer)
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, 166/7/228