LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Lawrence Keith DAY
Service No: 404924
Born: Richmond VIC, 1 June 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 December 1940 (at Brisbane QLD)
Unit: No. 79 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Aircraft accident (No. 79 Squadron Hurricane aircraft BN852), India, 3 December 1942, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Calcutta (Bhowanipore) Cemetery, Kolkata, India
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Ernest Mervyn and Mary Margaret Day, of Lewisham, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Lewisham NSW
Remembered: Panel 121, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 3 December 1942 Hurricane BN582 was detailed together with another Hurricane of the Squadron flown by Flight Sergeant Perry (RAF), to do a non-operational “beat up” on a Gun Post.
The two aircraft took off at 1019 hours with Flight Sergeant Perry as leader and Flight Sergeant Day his No 1. They headed south down the Hooghly River and found the gun post. The aircraft then carried out a number of ‘beat up’ attacks. On the fifth attack, Flight Sergeant Perry followed Flight Sergeant Day in at about 90 degrees and saw Day’s aircraft stall turn back to the gun post as he was just crossing it. When Perry had turned back on the target he saw a fire had started 50 to 60 yards from the gun post and flew over to see that it was an aircraft burning. Army personnel were already by the crashed aircraft but could not get close because of the fire. Perry called base and then returned to base.
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, 163/100/333