LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Edmund Mailer LINDSAY
Service No: 400058
Born: Northcote VIC, 6 January 1910
Enlisted in the RAAF: 29 April 1940
Unit: No. 55 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 55 Squadron Blenheim aircraft V6921), off the North African Coast, 13 December 1941, Aged 31 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Edmund Henry Lindsay, and of Alice Maud Lindsay, of Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: St Kilda VIC
Remembered: Column 246, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 13 December 1941 Blenheim V6291 led a formation of 3 Blenheims on a low level attack on a merchant vessel in Navarin Harbour. V6291 led to a point about 30 miles out to sea from Navarin. The formation then set course for Navarin, and despite poor visibility it made a perfect landfall at the harbour. The merchant vessel was at the jetty and close to two destroyers around which the formation had to turn in order to carry out a beam attack against the merchant vessel. Light anti-aircraft fire was encountered as the aircraft entered the harbour and became more intense. No 2 aircraft was hit twice and No 3 once. V6291 made the first attack and a successful get away. Nos 2 and 3 swung away in different directions after their attacks. V 9291 was not seen again and failed to return to base. An indistinct radio message at 1555 hours was thought to have come from V6291 which would position the aircraft about 150 miles from base. Searches the next day found no trace of the missing aircraft or crew. It was thought that the aircraft may have crashed or been forced down shortly after leaving the target. Post war searches failed to locate any unidentified graves that might be connected with the missing crew members.
The crew members of V6291 were:
Sergeant Edmund Mailer Lindsay (400058) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey Pelling (85004) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer Joseph Henry Strong DFM (45230) (RAFVR) (Observer)
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, 163/138/64