LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Alan Arthur GATWARD
Service No: 272
Born: 21 April 1917, Location unavailable
Enlisted in the RAAF: 17 January 1938
Unit: No. 3 Squadron
Died: Air Operations: (No. 3 Squadron Hurricane aircraft V7557), Egypt-Libya border area, 19 February 1941, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur Gatward, and of Amelia Kate Gatward, of Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Five Dock NSW
Remembered: Column 245, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 98, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 19 February 1941, Hurricane V7557 flown by Flying Officer Gatward was one of a formation of three aircraft which took off on an offensive air patrol. V7557 and the formation Leader attacked 9 RuS7 dive bombers and the two aircraft were in turn attacked by 15 Me110s. V7557 exploded in the air and Flying Officer Gatward was killed.
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, 163/33/33