LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Russell DEVENISH-MEARES
Service No: 402156
Born: Ashfield NSW, 10 October 1910
Enlisted in the RAAF: 24 June 1940
Unit: No. 42 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 42 Squadron Beaufort aircraft L9868), North Sea, 9 December 1941, Aged 31 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Charles Edward and Mary Anna Devenish Meares; husband of Nellie Constance Devenish Meares, of Burwood, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 62, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 121, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Ku-ring-gai World War II Book of Remembrance, Gordon NSW
At 0530 hours on 9 December 1941 Beaufort L9868 took off from Leuchars on a shipping strike off Kristiansand, Norway, with an anticipated return at 1030 hours. No messages were received after take-off and the aircraft failed to return.
The crew members of L9868 were:
Sergeant Arthur King (1014016) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Russell Devenish-Meares (402156) (Pilot)
Sergeant Jack Nash (777886) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant William Arthur Nation (1375231) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator)
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, 166/44/118
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line