LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Gordon David LONG
Service No: 435171
Born: Brisbane QLD, 15 January 1925
Enlisted in the RAAF: 26 March 1943
Unit: No. 115 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Witchford
Died: Air Operations: (No. 115 Squadron Lancaster aircraft NG332), Belgium, 1 January 1945, Aged 19 Years
Buried: Leopoldsburg War Cemetery, Belgium
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Percy Edward and Elva Jane May Long, of Hawthorne, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Brother of Flight Sergeant Arthur Stephen Long (425328)
At 1610 hours on the night of 1 January 1945 Lancaster NG332 took off from Witchford detailed to bomb the railway yards at Vohwinkel, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. It is believed that the aircraft was homebound when it was caught in a barrage of American anti-aircraft fire near Namur. The aircraft crashed out of control at 2010 hours onto farmland at Emines (Namur), 11 kms south east of Gembloux. All on board the aircraft were killed.
The crew members of NG332 were:
Sergeant Charles David Bassett (1819449) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer Joseph Donald Booth (148926) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant John Edward Willoughby Fenwick (1850790) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Gordon David Long (435171) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer Earl Donald Mathison (J/90601) (RCAF) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Pilot Officer Jon William McLeod (J/95353) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner)
Squadron Leader Anthony Alan Frank Mills (118465) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Joseph Darcy Keith Sterling (421540) (RNZAF) (Second Pilot)
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, 166/25/241