LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer David George Walpole LEAKE
Service No: 406506
Born: Perth WA, 9 August 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 January 1941
Unit: No. 223 Squadron (RAF), Amriya, Egypt
Died: Air Operations: (No. 223 Squadron Baltimore aircraft AG854), El Alamein Battle Area, 24 October 1942, Aged 25 Years
Buried: El Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Francis Walpole Leake and Fannie Whitley Leake, of Perth, Western Australia.
Roll of Honour: Perth WA
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
Flying Officer Leake survived the loss of No. 223 Squadron Baltimore AG717 (Flight Sergeant Kevin Ellsmore Stewart (400571) (Wireless Air Gunner)) on 23 May 1942.
The DVA on-line record shows Flying Officer Leake as having been a Prisoner of War but the Casualty File A705, 164/42/130 does not reflect this.
On 24 October 1942, Baltimore AG854 was one of a formation of aircraft taking part in an operational mission. While over the target heavy and intense anti aircraft fire was encountered. The aircraft was seen to leave the formation going down in flames. One of the crew members was seen to bale out. Three of the crew members were killed and one became a Prisoner of War.
The crew members of AG854 were:
Sergeant John Rutledge Bertram (1294996) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Joseph Henry Campbell (1165206) (RAFVR) (Observer)
Flying Officer David George Walpole Leake (406506) (Pilot)
Sergeant Rhys Roberts (407513) (Wireless Air Gunner) Baled out, PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 20 November 1945
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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australian On-Line Record A705, 164/42/130
Bibliography:
Gaston, Bruce DFC (406646), Harry Horner DFC OAM (406595), Raymond Storer (406666) (Editors), Aircrew for the Duration: of and by members of RAAF EATS Courses 10, 11, 12 & 13, Gaston Horner and Storer, Nedlands WA, 1990