LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Allen Roderick McFARLANE
Service No: 402959
Born: Lawrence NSW, 29 August 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 November 1940
Unit: No. 70 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 70 Squadron Wellington aircraft MK247), Libya, 7 May 1943, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Tripoli War Cemetery, Libya
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John and Alice Maud McFarlane, of Lawrence, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Lismore Cenotaph, Lismore NSW
Remembered: Australia Remembers 1945 – 1995 Memorial, Lane Cove NSW
Remembered: NSW Department of Education Non-Teaching staff WW2 Honour Roll, Sydney NSW
At 2050 hours on 7 May 1943 Wellington MK247 took off from base to bomb enemy concentrations on roads south east of Tunis. The aircraft returned with engine trouble and the Captain contacted base by radio to get instructions for the jettison of bombs. He was instructed to jettison half the load 5 miles south east of the Landing Ground which he did. On returning to base the aircraft made a circuit and the engines appeared to be running normally. The aircraft was given the green light and it was acknowledged. On going cross wind to the upwind end of the flare path, the aircraft was seen to dive losing considerable height. The aircraft then levelled and continued at the same height of about 600 feet, until on the cross wind leg downwind from the flare path. It was then seen to lose more height and continued to fly on at an extremely low altitude until it hit the ground and exploded at 2156 hours. It crashed 3 miles from the flare path and was completely destroyed killing five of the crew members.
The crew members of MK247 were:
Sergeant John Courtney Comyn (1287071) (RAFVR) (Navigator Bomb Aimer)
Warrant Officer I Ira Irvin Kliman (R/85471) (RCAF) (Second Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Allen Roderick McFarlane (402959) (Pilot)
Sergeant George Poppleston (1005744) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Basil Sherry (979599) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant D A Smith (1350296) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner) Survived
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, 166/2/126
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line