LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Lloyd George HORSFALL
Service No: 400145
Born: Korumburra VIC, 30 March 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 23 June 1940
Unit: No. 253 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Hibaldstow, Lincolnshire
Died: Aircraft Accident: (No. 253 Squadron Hurricane aircraft Z3918), Lincolnshire, 26 October 1941, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Kirton in Lindsey Burial Ground, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Francis Arthur and Campbell Isabel Horsfall, of Brighton, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Morwell VIC
Remembered: Panel 124, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 26 October 1941 Hurricane Z3918 was Blue 2 in Blue Section which had been ordered to take off on a convoy patrol at dawn from Hibaldstow. On the way out he called up Blue 1 (Pilot Officer C B Brown (RAF)) and said “I am 300 yards behind and throttle back”. This Blue 1 did and at the same time his aircraft was passing through two rain clouds. Blue 2 then called up and asked Blue 1 to put on his lights. This was the last message passed by Blue, and as he did not join up, Blue 1 continued the patrol on his own, being asked to look for Blue 2 by Operations when he was returning. The Commanding Officer of No. 253 Squadron stated “it is difficult to give any reason for the accident except that Blue 2 may have got into difficulty in a rain storm. The Pilot was operational but not too good in rain storms.”
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, 163/123/127