LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Peter Leeton KIRKPATRICK
Service No: 432819
Born: Leeton NSW, 18 August 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 30 January 1943
Unit: No. 57 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station East Kirkby
Died: Air Operations: (No. 57 Squadron Lancaster aircraft PB382), Sweden, 8 February 1945, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Helsingborg (Palsjo) Municipal Cemetery, Sweden
CWGC Additional Information: Son of the Revd. Colin Kirkpatrick and Grace Kirkpatrick, of Deniliquin, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Deniliquin NSW
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Hay War Memorial Hall and Honour Roll, Hay NSW
Remembered: Deniliquin Cenotaph and Lone Pine Memorial, Deniliquin NSW
At 1703 hours on the night of 8 February 1945 Lancaster PB382 took off from East Kirkby detailed to bomb a synthetic oil production plant at Politz. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire after entering Swedish air space and crashed at Helsingborg, Sweden. Six of the crew members were killed and one was interned.
The crew members of PB382 were:
Sergeant Donald Percy Aplin (1891334) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer Bruce Alfred Clifton (418693) (Pilot) Interned, returned 10 March 1945, Discharged from the RAAF: 3 January 1946
Sergeant Charles Kenneth Davey (1381573) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Frank Victor James Dunstone (1608367) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Peter Leeton Kirkpatrick (432819) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Edward Crone Slaughter (1682293) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant John Kevin Wilson (1499366) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
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, 166/22/434
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line