LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant George Edward James CRAVEN
Service No: 405721
Born: Cloncurry QLD, 17 August 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 25 May 1941
Unit: Ferry Command (RAF)
Died: Aircraft Accident (Ferry Command Catalina aircraft FP266), North Atlantic Ocean, 25 December 1942, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Fulwar and Elizabeth Abigail Craven, of Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Mount Isa QLD
Remembered: Panel 2, Column 1, Ottawa Memorial, Ontario, Canada
Remembered: Panel 133, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Catalina FP266 of RAF Ferry Command on a delivery flight from Canada to the UK was reported missing after its last contact with base at 0400 hours GMT on 25 December 1942. No passengers were carried on the aircraft which did not reach its destination. In 1949 it was recorded that the missing crew members had lost their lives at sea.
The crew members of FP266 were:
Mr James Hamilton Auld (Radio Operator) Canadian Civilian
Mr Hutches Pierce Benson (Pilot) US Civilian
Flight Sergeant Douglas Oliver Bevan (R/113156) (RCAF) (Navigator)
Sergeant George Edward James Craven (405721) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant Roy Harding (1318417) (RAFVR) (First Officer)
Sergeant Reginald Edwin Thompson (572339) (RAF) (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 A705, 166/8/13