LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Patrick Fleming MATTHEWS
Service No: 400018
Born: Penarth, South Wales, 20 May 1913
Enlisted in the RAAF: 28 April 1940 (at Melbourne VIC)
Unit: No. 70 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 70 Squadron Wellington aircraft T2987), Libya, 20 December 1941, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Benghazi War Cemetery, Libya
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Frederick Charles and Jennifer Matthews; husband of Suzanne Sidney Matthews, of Berwick, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Berwick VIC
Remembered: Panel 127, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Wellington T2987 was found on the north side of the Benina aerodrome near Benghazi, together with seven graves of the crew members. The aircraft had been shot down by ant-aircraft fire and crashed in flames at 0045 hours on the 20 December 1941.
The crew members of T2987 were:
Captain Lewis Nurden Evans (103115V) (SAAF) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer Harry D Grey (47408) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant James Francis Liles (1058192) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant Patrick Fleming Matthews (400108) (Observer)
Flight Sergeant Evan Ellis Nelson (R/52648) (RCAF) (Air Gunner)
Squadron Leader Harry Parkinson (33393) (RAF) (Supernumerary Pilot, HQ Middle East)
Flight Sergeant Douglas Edward Webb (628267) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
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, 163/142/275