LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant George Francis DARE
Service No: 403237
Born: Leeton NSW, 3 January 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 4 January 1941
Unit: No. 61 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Skellingthorpe
Died: Air Operations: (No. 61 Squadron Lancaster aircraft R5759), Germany, 1 October 1942, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Joseph Penric Dare and Ida May Dare, of Yanco, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Leeton NSW
Remembered: Panel 121, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: ANZAC Memorial Clock, Leeton NSW
Remembered: Yanco and District World War 2 Honour Roll, Yanco NSW
At 1805 hours on the night of 1October 1942 Lancaster R5759 took off from Skellingthorpe detailed to bomb Wismar, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. A later report by a Missing Research and Enquiry team stated “the aircraft crashed at Sdildemow, 4 kms south of Rostock, Germany.” Six of the crew members had been killed and one was taken prisoner.
The crew members of R5759 were:
Sergeant J G Bartells (93077) (RAF) (Air Bomber) PoW
Sergeant Ronald William Cadman (1165794) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Ronald Sydney Cole (1375124) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Geoffrey Ernest Dale (41314) (RNZAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant George Francis Dare (403237) (Navigator)
Sergeant Harold Hewitt (900003) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Harry Robert Williams (R/93550) (RCAF) (Mid Upper Gunner)
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, 163/100/284
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line