LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Henry Leslie Benjamin MORPHETT
Service No: 407093
Born: Glen Osmond SA, 3 December 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 27 May 1940
Unit: No. 102 Squadron (RAF), RAF Topcliffe, Yorkshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 102 Squadron Whitley aircraft Z6574), North Sea, 7 September 1941, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Henry Louis Albert and Isabella Morphett; husband of Lois Grace Morphett, of Unley Park, South Australia.
Roll of Honour: Unley SA
Remembered: Panel 62, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 127, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Whitley Z6574 of No. 102 (Ceylon) Squadron took off from RAF Topcliffe at 2035 hours on 6 September 1941 to carry out an operational mission against Huls, Germany. While returning from the mission, Z6574 transmitted an SOS at 0135 hours on 7 September, to say it was forced landing in the North Sea. A fix positioned the aircraft some 100 kms east of Bircham Newton, Norfolk. Subsequent searches could not locate any wreckage or find any survivors from the forced landing.
The crew members of Z7564 were:
Pilot Officer John Rhodes Croucher (63106) (RAF) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant John Glover (R/56903) (RCAF)
Flight Sergeant Alan Leonard Halsey (R/52691) (RCAF)
Sergeant Henry Leslie Benjamin Morphett (407093) (Observer)
Sergeant John Richard Tugman (1288767) (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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/145/138