LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Oliver Wiley McLEAN
Service No: 404112
Born: Maleny QLD, 10 December 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 24 May 1940
Unit: No. 78 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Middleton St George
Died: Air Operations: (No. 78 Squadron Whitley aircraft Z6555), North Sea, 9 July 1941, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Andrew and Frances J. McLean, of Caloundra, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Maleny QLD
Remembered: Panel 62, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2303 hours on 8 July 1941 Whitley Z6555 took off from Middleton St George to bomb Hamm, Germany. The last message was received from the aircraft was at 0330 hours on 9 July 1941, then nothing further was heard from Z6555 and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was reported to have crashed in the North Sea. It was late established that Sergeant Noddle’s remains had been recovered while the names of the other crew members are recorded on the Runnymede Memorial.
The crew members of Z6555 were:
Sergeant Louis Byrne (1377672) (RAFVR)
Sergeant Clifford MacKenzie Martin (R/64471) (RCAF)
Sergeant Oliver Wiley McLean (404112) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer Herbert Hutin Mountain (86428) (RAFVR)
Sergeant Kenneth Noddle (910919) (RAFVR)
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 A9301, 404112