LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Miro Peter MARKETO
Service No: 428729
Born: Blato, Yugoslavia, 18 September 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 10 October 1942 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 150 Squadron (RAF), Cerignola No. 3 Airfield, Italy
Died: Air Operations: (No. 150 Squadron Wellington aircraft LN515), Western Balkans area, 23 January 1944, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Nicholas Sanderlich Bernardo Marketo and Frances Marketo, of Young, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 16, Column 2, Malta Memorial, Malta
Remembered: Panel 127, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Young Soldiers’ Memorial Clock Tower and Memorial Boards, Young NSW
Remembered: Hennessy Catholic College Community Memorial, Young NSW
Wellington LN515 of No. 150 Squadron took off at 1717 hours on 23 January 1944 to bomb an aircraft factory at Maribor, north west Yugoslavia. The aircraft failed to return from this mission. Severe icing conditions were experienced by other aircraft on the same mission. Following post war investigations and enquiries, it was recorded in 1948 that the missing crew had no known grave.
The crew members of LN515 were:
Sergeant Ernest George Cane (1075170) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Flight Sergeant Miro Peter Marketo (428729) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Leon John Thyer (417014) (Pilot)
Sergeant Michael Frederick Reynold Walters (986045) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Rhys Williams (1136756) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
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 Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/27/347
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line