LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Herbert Maurice GALL
Service No: 405205
Born: Bowen QLD, 4 May 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 3 February 1941
Unit: No. 78 Squadron, RAF Station Middleton St George
Died: Air Operations: (No. 78 Squadron Halifax aircraft W1180), Netherlands, 6 August 1942, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Gelderland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William and Martha Christina Gall, of Merinda, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Bowen QLD
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2155 hours on the night of 5 August 1942 Halifax W1180 took off from Middleton St George detailed to bomb Bochum, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at the village of Donk. Three crew members were killed in the crash and the other four crew members became Prisoners of War.
The crew members of W1180 were:
Sergeant John William Clarke (943810) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Herbert Maurice Gall (405205) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant John Richard Gilbert (R/109675) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant A Greenacre (566668) (RAF) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Flying Officer R Shipley (136330) (RAFVR) (Navigator) PoW
Sergeant J C Stevens (1109282) (RAFVR) (Pilot) PoW
Sergeant D Willoughby (1053157) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber) PoW
Sergeant Stevens later reported “The aircraft was on fire. Petrol in the fuselage was on fire. I ordered bale out. There was no answer from Gall. I presume he was unable to abandon the aircraft. It was not possible to reach him, the inter com was damaged and very bad. I abandoned the aircraft myself.”
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, 163/115/129